11 seconds! And 19 seconds!
No! That is not the time it takes for your wife to get ready in your dreams! I don’t have that complaint since I know it takes time for a DIAMOND to form!
It is related to the doctor patient relationship!
The other day one patient had an issue with one ear; so I asked from how many days she has the issue; she then started talking about another issue!
That is when the 11 secod rule comes!
Studies show that doctors let patients speak for an average of just 11 seconds before interrupting them!
You may find it rude! But it is not so! I have often told that your doctor does not have the solutions for all your problems! Even he or she is under the watch! There is a sword of litigation hanging over him for every case!
In about 67% of medical visits, the doctor interjects to steer the conversation!
Meanwhile, the average appointment lasts about 15 to 18 minutes but then that is mixed with examination and other aspects of the consultation.
Some key facts of an average doctor patient interactions are:
The 11-Second Rule: A Journal of General Internal Medicine study found doctors interrupt patients in the first 11 seconds as stated above!
Family Doctors: Family doctors listen a little longer, an average of 19 seconds.
So what about specialists!? The more SPECIALZED you are the lesser is the time to INTERRUPT!
Specialists: Specialists interrupt even faster, usually within just a few seconds! A specialist may interrupt in less than 10 seconds! A super specialist even less! Now do not ask about the super duper specialist!
Then again what happens when you DO NOT interrupt?
Research published in BMJ shows that if patients are not interrupted, 78% finish explaining their main concerns within just two minutes!
So do we wait for two minutes! Many times we do WAIT! But that purely depends on the patience of the doctor and the number of PATIENTS in the waiting room!
Then again please do understand that doctors are not trying to be rude!
They are often pressured by heavy daily patient schedules and need to gather specific facts to make a diagnosis quickly. They also spend a large portion of their time typing notes into the computer since the maintenance of electronic records are more important than even diagnosis!
All in between the by stander trying to steer his or her symptoms in between for a PARALEL consultation and the complaints going from head to the TOE!
Any miss or mistype here can be more dangerous so at this point it is paramount not to INTERRUPT the doctor here!
What everyone needs to understand is that our BODY is our responsibility! Also our body is not a machine! You cannot do a regular SERVICING and assume that you are good to go for the next 10000 KMs!
So the next time you get interrupted; don’t worry! The GPS in the doctor’s voice will guide you safely to the required destination!
So wishing all my brothers and sisters and friends a very happy doctors day with a sketch of the legendary Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy!
Remember that you are a HUMAN first…
Learn to say NO!
Shubh ratri…
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