It’s a common experience – you’ve waited weeks or even months for a doctor’s appointment, rushed to the office on time, and sat patiently in the waiting room. Finally, your name is called and you go into the exam room. But no sooner have you started explaining your symptoms than the doctor seems to be rushing you out the door. What gives? Why does it feel like doctors are always in a hurry to end appointments?
Doctors are under time pressures
One major reason doctors often seem rushed is that they are under significant time pressures. Most doctors are scheduled to see a patient every 15 minutes or less. That includes time for reviewing records, examining the patient, ordering tests, documenting the visit, and more. With such a packed schedule, there is intense pressure to keep visits brief. Doctors can fall behind if appointments run long, keeping subsequent patients waiting.
In a 2020 survey published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 71% of doctors said they did not have adequate time to spend with patients. This time crunch means doctors feel they need to stay on task and keep visits focused. With only 15 minutes per patient, there is little room for open-ended conversation. The doctor must target the chief complaints and stick to relevant questions.
Doctors are avoiding distractions
Doctors also learn to avoid getting sidetracked in appointments. Many patients want to chat or raise secondary concerns unrelated to the visit’s purpose. But following tangents can easily eat up the limited time allotted. One study found primary care doctors allowed patients to fully explain their symptoms only 23% of the time before interrupting. Doctors interrupt to refocus the reason for the visit.
Of course, some off-topic discussions provide valuable information. However, doctors are trained to tactfully guide patients back on track and leave non-urgent matters for future appointments. Their priority is addressing the primary medical issue within the time constraints.
Doctors multitask during appointments
Doctors often seem distracted because they are multitasking during appointments. They frequently need to enter notes into electronic medical records (EMRs) while simultaneously listening to patients. Splitting attention between the computer and patient can make doctors appear rushed. Typing notes also takes up time within the appointment.
One study found that for every hour doctors spend with patients, they spend nearly two additional hours on EMR tasks. This admin work spills over into appointment times. Multitasking also leads to mistakes – one study found each EMR alert received during patient visits was associated with a 12% increase in prescription errors.
Heavy patient loads cause burnout
High volumes of patients contribute to doctor burnout, which can manifest as impatience or rushing. Most doctors see dozens of patients per day, with caseloads in the thousands for primary care physicians. Heavy workloads leave minimal time to relax between appointments.
Nearly half of doctors show signs of burnout. Having to rush from patient to patient under time pressure and chronic stress contributes to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Burnt-out doctors can become less engaged and empathetic. Pressuring doctors to see more patients per day only increases these issues.
Effective time management is valued
Medicine values efficiency and effective time management. Doctors are constantly reminded not to fall behind schedule. Medical training emphasizes learning to gather clinical information quickly, multi-task, and avoid idle chatter during appointments. Rushing is often ingrained early on.
However, good time management should not come at the cost of empathy and communication. The most skilled doctors can balance efficiency with truly listening to patients. They avoid interrupting and let patients tell their story, while tactfully focusing on key details.
Tips for dealing with a rushing doctor
How should patients handle a doctor in a hurry? First, recognize time limits are unfortunately a reality of modern medicine. But there are techniques to improve communication despite tight schedules:
- Prioritize your concerns and be concise describing symptoms
- Bring a written list of issues to cover with time estimates
- Ask questions about the most pressing topics first
- Let the doctor know up front if you have complex issues requiring more time
- Schedule a double appointment for physicals or multiple concerns
- Request the first appointment of the day when doctors are less likely to be behind
- See if an appointment over lunch or at the end of the day has a lighter schedule
- Email non-urgent follow up questions later
- Ask the doctor to slow down if feeling rushed. Say you have more to discuss.
- If needed, schedule a second visit to finish addressing concerns
If a doctor consistently rushes appointments, consider finding a new one with a more patient-focused style. But give grace – doctors are doing their best under pressure to provide quality care.
Why the appointment time system needs change
The typical 15-minute doctor’s visit has long been the norm, but it may not be the best system. Both doctors and patients often feel unsatisfied after rushed appointments. We need healthcare policies that promote longer, less hurried visits. Some suggested changes include:
- Allowing 30-60 minute initial appointments and 15-30 minutes for follow ups
- Scheduling fewer patients per day even if wait times are longer
- Paying doctors for time spent emailing and speaking to patients between visits
- Reimbursing doctors for telephone or video appointments
- Incentivizing patient education and care coordination
- Hiring medical assistants to help with documentation
- Implementing team-based care with other providers to reduce doctor workload
Both doctors and patients benefit when there is adequate time to build relationships and engage in open communication. Although a major shift, rethinking traditional appointment lengths and clinic workflows could dramatically improve quality of care.
Statistics on appointment length
Here are some key statistics on doctor’s appointment lengths and related pressures:
| Average primary care visit length | 15-20 minutes |
| Average specialty care visit length | 20-30 minutes |
| Doctors interrupting patients | After 23 seconds average |
| Doctors reporting inadequate time per patient | 71% |
| Hours per week spent on EMR tasks | 16-20 hours |
| Increase in errors with each EMR interruption | 12% |
| Doctors experiencing burnout | 46% |
This data shows the severity of issues around rushed appointments. Both systemic and workflow changes are needed for doctors to have enough time with each patient.
The patient perspective
To understand why doctors rush and feel pressured, it helps to see things from the patient’s perspective too. Patients often feel:
- Frustrated at waiting weeks for a 15-minute visit
- Stressed trying to explain complex history in a few minutes
- Unheard when the doctor interrupts or seems distracted
- Overwhelmed by having to schedule multiple visits for one issue
- Dissatisfied with impersonal, rushed care
- Uninformed if education is lacking due to no time
Patients value doctors who take time to listen and explain things clearly. The system needs to enable doctors to do this. With more reasonable schedules, doctors could slow down and focus on delivering compassionate patient care.
Conclusion
Doctor’s visits often feel rushed, leaving patients frustrated and doctors stressed. But by understanding doctors’ pressures of heavy workloads, scheduling demands, and burnout, patients can have more empathy. And we need healthcare leaders to enact systemic reforms – like longer appointments – for meaningful change. With effort on both sides, patients and doctors can work together even given the time constraints.