Fw: Perceptions: When Patients Have Their Say

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: " Kathi " <pureheart@...>

Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 6:27 PM

Subject: Perceptions: When Patients Have Their Say

> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/01/health/01PERC.html

>

> Perceptions: When Patients Have Their Say

> By JOHN O'NEIL

>

>

> re patients blabbermouths? Many doctors apparently think so.

>

> Research has shown that doctors interrupt, on average, about 20 seconds

> after a patient begins to talk.

>

> But a new Swedish study suggests that doctors actually have little to

> fear

> from letting patients have their full say.

>

> In the study, which was published on Friday in BMJ, the journal of the

> British Medical Association, 14 doctors in the outpatient clinic of

> University Hospital in Basel agreed to time their patients

> surreptitiously

> while allowing them to talk without interruption at the beginning of a

> visit.

>

> They shut their timers off whenever the patients indicated that their

> stories were complete with concluding lines like " That's all, doctor " or

>

> " What do you think? "

>

> The doctors had expected that the average statement would go on for

> three

> and a half minutes.

>

> In fact, the article said, the average patient finished in 92 seconds,

> and

> 78 percent were done within 2 minutes. Only 7 of the 335 patients hit

> the

> 5-minute mark, at which point the doctors were allowed to cut in. " In

> all

> cases, " the article said, " doctors felt that the patients were giving

> important information and should not be interrupted. "

>

> The study's lead author, Dr. Wolf Langewitz, sent this advice in an

> e-mail

> message:

>

> " To patients, I'd suggest: Be prepared! Don't start with your complaints

>

> right away. Start with the agenda. E.g.: `Dear Dr. , On my list

> for

> today are the following items.' Wait until the doctor pays attention!

> `First, what about the new pills you mentioned last time. Second: My

> daughter's in trouble, perhaps you could help us?'

>

> " Physicians should get the message, " Dr. Langewitz continued. " Listen -

> it

> won't take long. "

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Doctors listening...what a concept.....

LM