Vorsicht! Operation – Ferndiagnose im Internet

A friend sent me an email 2 weeks ago about his experience in establishing care. A young male in his early 20s, he is healthy and was looking only for a physical. He had a less than stellar experience with the physician who saw him. “Is it just me or does it feel like mechanics gather more data on an initial inspection than doctors do during physicals?” he wrote, “I’m pretty sure that humans are more complex than most internal combustion engines.” He had a point. His concern is a common one: feeling like a physician’s quick glance at vitals and listening through the stethescope were not quite thorough enough. If there was something to be found, would this physician have found it? Our ensuing conversation and his experience was about expectations. We want our doctors to spend a sufficient amount of time on us to gather real data but we’ve come to expect our doctors to be in a hurry. A physician who takes his time is heralded as being above the curve. Those who don’t are never considered to be considerate of our time only sloppy with theirs. In order for healthcare delivery to be effective a physician […]