Being Late -- Should Doctors Apologize?
No one can be perfectly punctual all the time. The question then is how doctors should handle their own lateness, especially when patients become upset or critical in the face of a delay.
In a recent discussion on Medscape's Physician Connect (MPC), an all-physician discussion group, a general practitioner asked for advice on dealing with the "rudeness" of a patient who "scolds me for being 20 minutes 'late.'"
Many responses suggested that the original poster had it backward: A doctor who does not arrive on time for a scheduled appointment is the one who has committed the discourtesy.
"Wait--you were 20 minutes late, and she was rude? Place yourself in her shoes. She does not know what you were doing before you entered the room. All she knows is that she had to wait 20 minutes. To her, you were the one that was rude by making her wait," wrote a neurologist.
"We have a responsibility to respect the patient's time as it is as valuable as ours. Apologizing if I am late is the first thing I should always do," a public health specialist added.
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ReplyDeleteMy last annual visit with my doctor (endocrinologist) went as follows:
ReplyDeleteArrived 10-15 minutes before scheduled appt. Waited 45 minutes before I was called back to the exam room. Waited another 20+ minutes before the doctor walked in; his "exam" was no more than a series of 4-5 questions that took no more than 2 minutes (literally) then he showed me to the door and sent me for lab work. Unbelievable! Yes, I could try to find another endocrinologist but it would entail a minimum 2 hour drive; I'm already driving 1 hour to the doctor I have. Oh the joys of living in a rural area.