Problems with Healthcare
- Our traditional healthcare system: In the traditional paradigm, doctors have a large number of patients and typically spend only five to ten minutes with each patient. This results in doctors seeing around 30-40 patients a day, with a total patient panel of 2000-4000 patients.
- Need for more time with patients: Doctors recognize the need for more time with patients to provide better care and understanding of their medical problems. Spending more time with patients allows doctors to build a stronger connection, address their concerns, and provide appropriate care.
- Broken doctor patient-doctor relationship: A more compassionate and understanding approach is necessary when delivering bad news. Spending a shorter amount of time and delaying follow-up appointments can be harsh and may not provide the emotional support patients need.
- Sacrifices doctors make: Many doctors willingly give up their personal time to spend extra time with patients because healthcare, for them, is a calling. They understand the value of providing support and information through patient-doctor communication. Note: The importance of patient-doctor communication includes the benefits of gaining more information and understanding about patients' health concerns, which ultimately leads to better care and overall patient satisfaction.
An example of the benefits of spending more time with a patient
- A patient with chronic back pain sought treatment from multiple doctors, tried different medications, and received injections, but experienced no relief.
- The patient was taking a combination of medications, leading to side effects.
- By understanding the medications the patient was taking, it was discovered that two of them had the same effect, causing the side effects.
- The patient's major concern was not the pain but rather the side effects.
- Adequate counseling for patients can prevent such complications, as patients often struggle to understand medical advice in short doctor visits.
- Increasing patient visit duration and providing counseling would help prevent medication interaction problems
