When you look at almost any task that people have to complete, rushing is one of the major reasons for errors. People who are in a hurry are simply more prone to making mistakes than those who are careful and able to take their time. This is true in everything that you do, from a hobby that you enjoy to your profession to driving your car.
However, it can become a very big problem when someone’s profession is working in the medical industry. A doctor who is always in a rush may be more likely to make a critical mistake that they wouldn’t have made otherwise. This can have a serious impact on a patient’s quality of life. Some mistakes are even fatal. That’s quite a price to pay for rushing.
Most doctors are always rushing
This only becomes more problematic when you consider that doctors generally are in a rush almost all the time. For instance, according to one study, doctors tended to interrupt their patients after only 11 seconds. This shows that they’re trying to rush through the appointment to make a diagnosis as quickly as they can, allowing them to move onto the next appointment.
There are some things you can do to try to prevent this. You could bring in a list of questions you want to ask, for example, which you can turn to if the doctor interrupts you. You could stress that you really want the conversation to continue even though the doctor seems to be moving toward the door, telling them that you need more time.
But even when doing this is technically successful and the appointment lasts longer, you still may not have changed the doctor’s mindset. Mentally speaking, they still feel like they’re in a rush, they still feel that stress and they may be trying to get out of the room as quickly as they can. This means that you may not be able to keep them from making a mistake.
Have you suffered harm?
When a doctor is hurrying from one appointment to the next, they may be negligent and not provide you with proper care. If this happens, you need to know about all of your legal options.