Doctors to let patients know if running late

Adapted extract from a letter in Judith Martin's column in The Seattle Times (March 10th '95) monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights.

I have taken to phoning the doctor's office first, to make sure she is running on time before leaving for the appointment. When I recently tried this, I was told that while my gynaecologist would not be able to see me on time, if I were to arrive late, I would be put in the queue behind the patients who had arrived earlier, regardless of when my appointment was.

I brought this up with the doctor herself (after a 45-minute wait in the waiting room), and her defence was that the other patients would be irritated if I were to wait in my office (and get some work done), arrive at a time when I could be seen, and then be shown in before them.

This seems to me a curious and self-serving view of etiquette. Rather than invest the time and effort to treat all patients properly by phoning them if there is to be a delay, instead insist on mistreating all patients equally.

Editorial comment

Rather than staff having to phone patients, who might well be already out of their homes, it would be sufficient for it to be publicised that patients may phone in to find out how long any delay is likely to be and so to retime their appointments.

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