Does your doctor always seem rushed when you go into the office? Do you feel like they hurry in the door, still thinking about whatever they were doing prior to meeting with you, and then rush out as soon as they can to get on to the next appointment?
It’s not just in your head. The majority of patients – three out of five – believe that even their exams are rushed. Some reports claim that people may only get to talk for as little as 12 seconds before being interrupted by a medical professional when they first start the meeting. In short, your doctor is definitely in a rush and that could be a problem for you.
What issues could occur?
A doctor who is in a rush could cause all sorts of issues that you wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. For instance, a rushed exam could lead to a missed diagnosis. If the doctor had taken their time, maybe they would have found the ailment, but they were in a hurry and so they overlooked obvious evidence. This could be very detrimental to your health if your condition gets worse because it wasn’t caught early.
Doctors who are in a rush could also get confused about exactly which patient they’re seeing. If they’re trying to see a new patient every 10 minutes, they could mix up files or cases. This could lead to you getting treatment that you don’t need or not getting the level of care that you deserve. Either way, it is your health that suffers when this occurs.
What can you do?
If you have received poor medical care for any reason, including after your doctor was in a rush and acted negligently, then you need to know about all the legal options at your disposal.