When you’re talking to your doctor, you expect them to give you their full attention. You need to explain your symptoms and provide other important information like any medication you’re taking, any supplements you’re using, if you have a family history of similar illnesses, and things of this nature. Knowledge is power in the medical industry, and it helps doctors make an accurate diagnosis.
Unfortunately, doctors do not always listen to their patients as long as they should. In fact, some studies have found that they tend to interrupt patients very quickly, perhaps after an average of 11 seconds. You may have assumed you would have as much time as you needed to speak to your doctor, but if they only give you a few seconds, the odds of a misdiagnosis go up dramatically.
Why do doctors do this?
Every case is unique, but some doctors will do this simply because they’ll make assumptions. Once the person has mentioned a symptom or two, the doctor will think that they know what’s wrong and interrupt with an idea before the patient is finished talking.
In other cases, doctors are busy. The doctor may know that they’re already behind on appointments, so they’re trying to hurry through each appointment so they can meet with the next patient.
Have you suffered harm due to malpractice?
The problem is that a doctor who does not give you their full attention could make mistakes such as an inaccurate diagnosis. They could also delay that diagnosis because you may need to get a second opinion. All of this can cause significant physical and financial harm, so you need to know what legal options you have moving forward.