How More Than 20 Seconds Talking To Your Doctor (Without Interruption) Is Essential

Today's short post from fiercehealthcare.com (see link below) is a follow-up to yesterday's much longer and more serious examination of the state of the doctor-patient relationship these days and talks about the doctor-patient relationship after the diagnosis has been made.  Many chronic pain patients (especially those with neuropathy) are diagnosed after their story is heard, or after various tests and then basically put onto a sliding scale of pain killers and sent home with instructions to learn to manage (live with) it. This leads to ineffective treatment and frustration on the part of the patient, who feels that their lives need a more careful examination than that and that the psychological effects of living with chronic pain are seriously underestimated. Apparently, a study has found that the average time you get to talk to your doctor before being interrupted, is only 20 seconds! We all know the reasons why and that doctors are under tremendous pressure too but this article aims to tell doctors just how patients are feeling. Based on a series of studies, it's clear that there is a high level of dissatisfaction on the part of patients. Let's hope that things can improve soon.

Patients want doctors to talk to them about more than just physical symptoms, medications
by Joanne Finnegan | Oct 11, 2018

Today’s patients have a broader view of what good health means, according to a new survey, and they have greater expectations of what their doctors should be talking about during office visits.

The survey of 2,027 U.S. adults conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of Samueli Integrative Health Programs, found a disconnect in doctor-patient conversations. Half of patients said their doctors do not have conversations beyond their medical needs. They want their doctors to talk to them about more than physical health, test results and medications.


For instance, most Americans who have a primary care physician (74%) say their doctor typically discusses their physical health, but far fewer talk about behavioral factors that can strongly influence health, such as exercise (51%), diet (44%) and sleep (40%).


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SUBSCRIBE NOW And while doctors focus on physical health, some of the most common health problems that patients face are mental health issues. The four most common health issues were: depression (19%), anxiety (18%), chronic pain (11%) and diabetes (10%).


RELATED: Doctors aren’t talking to patients about what’s most likely to kill them

Yet, among patients with a PCP, doctors discuss factors that influence the mind-body connection, such as mental health and spiritual health only 36% and 10% of the time.

The survey showed that doctors aren’t talking to their patients about important factors that influence their health, said Wayne Jonas, M.D., executive director of Samueli Integrative Health Programs, and a practicing family physician, during a media briefing to discuss the survey findings.

Doctors need to take a whole-person, integrative approach to health, Jonas said.

“We need to restructure how we do primary care,” he said, so that instead of waiting for problems, such as diabetes, to show up, doctors are focusing on patients’ lifestyle choices that can help prevent or reverse problems. That will save money in the long-run.
Jonas admits that doctors’ addressing all of a patient’s needs in a 15- or 20-minute office visit is not easy. “This is a major problem. I hear it all the time and I struggle with it myself,” he said. Doctors may need to schedule more visits to address a patient’s more complex needs, such as patients who suffer from chronic pain.

RELATED: Study—Doctors spend more time with computers than patients
Jonas said doctors can introduce nonpharmacologic treatments such as meditation, yoga, massage therapy and acupuncture to patients.
An interesting result of the survey is that younger people (18-44) are more likely than their older counterparts to say that they and their doctor don’t really talk about much more than medical needs such as physical symptoms, tests, medications and surgeries. They wish their doctor talked more about why they want to be healthy (55%) and about nondrug treatments (63%).
Jonas thinks younger people are much more aware of the influences of behavior and lifestyle choices on their health. “They realize these conversations need to take place. They are more empowered to take action,” he said. They are more likely to say to their doctor that they heard or read about something and want to have a conversation.


RELATED: Doctors—Don’t blame me for high healthcare costs Jonas, the former director of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, said doctors can find resources to talk to patients about various issues on his website.

The Harris Poll backs up another survey earlier this year that found primary care doctors are neglecting to talk to patients about the things that are most likely to kill them.

The survey of 3,000 Americans by ImagineMD, a direct primary care medical practice in Chicago, found few doctors are talking to patients about issues such as drug overdose, suicide and traffic accidents—some of the leading causes of death in America.

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/patients-want-doctors-to-talk-to-them-about-more-than-just-physical-symptoms-medications