Actually, let's give them another 30min

Had this happen once. I arrived without an appointment about an hour before the office closed. They allowed me in and took me into an exam room to wait for the doctor. After nearly an hour, I went to look and see what was happening. The staff were in the process of closing up for the day. They had literally forgotten I was in there.

130

Had the exact same thing happen, except it was that someone else with an appointment had my same name. So the schedule got messed up and thought we were the same person. I stuck my head out 45 minutes into sitting in the room, and they were very confused. I then waited another 45 minutes cause they are chronically behind. I don’t go to that doctor anymore.

13

Couple of years ago, I went to an orthopedic clinic with a torn ligament. They tell me to lay down in one of the rooms. An hour passes. Suddenly, the lights in the room and adjacent hallway turn off. They dead-ass forgot me in there and were about to call it a day when I popped my head out.

65

Ouch that must've hurt

5

Had this just over a month ago. I went down to accident and emergency just before 12 am on a Saturday (also know as the emergency department) as I was having really bad cramps because of my IBD (ulcerative colitis) I got triaged within an hour and had blood tests done within an hour after. Only saw a Dr after 7 or 8 in the morning and then was with her an hour at most, went for an X-ray and then had to sit for maybe another 5-6 hours to find out the results of a blood test that they do at the hospital. They were thinking of admitting me to hospital but we're waiting on the blood results so it's not as if me just going home was going to help myself.

While I sat waiting on the Dr the last time, I went and asked twice because I hadn't had word for hours. I also didn't have anything to eat for 24 hours as I didn't have an evening meal and I couldn't use a vending machine as I had no cash or card as I don't think I would be there 16 hours.

55

That sounds awful =(

17
- It was and I'm still suffering a flare up 5 weeks later. The only thing that's actually changed is I don't have constant cramps all day.
  
  6
What country was this? Just out of curiosity. I can’t tell from the way you write

1
- UK and Northern Ireland. Where we had our government collapse twice while there's a plethora of issues in healthcare, education, economy and just about everything else a government is responsible for. We would've actually set the world record for the longest time without a government if we were recognized by the UN as a sovereign nation.
  
  7
- Sounds like the UK to me. Waits like this are not uncommon here in A&E when you are in a stable condition. The NHS has been underfunded for years and it is just getting worse.
  
  3

Kinda related...

I know why I'm seeing the doctor, my dog doesn't understand why he needs to see the vet. When you tell us to go in the room don't make us wait for fuck's sake, the last time my dog looked like he was trying to escape through the ventilation grill in the ceiling and he pissed and shat on the examination table because he had been building anxiety for 20 minutes!

46

My vet switched fully to having everyone wait in their cars after COVID. The vet comes to get you directly when they're ready for you. It's way better for the pets anxiety.

39
- Where is this? My old vet did that after COVID and I loved it
  
  6
- my dog freaks tf out in the car
  
  6
When you tell us to go in the room don't make us wait for fuck's sake

This is what I don't get. There's a waiting room. Why are we sent into a (usually) cramped room with no amenities if the person we're seeing isn't immediately available? One time I went to a clinic and the doctor apparently went on their lunch after I'd been walked to the examination room. Like...wtf?

11

20 minutes, then assuming there's a closed door, I'll just leave the door open

If 10 more minutes pass I'm popping my head out and asking for a potential estimate. If I get to 45 minutes and nobody has spoken to me I'm out, and will be quite irritated upon rescheduling. By that point I've been there for over an hour and unlike everyone whose taking their sweet time, I'm not being paid to be there.

I've watched too many nurses, doctors, and random medical staff just stand around talking outside patient rooms about the latest gossip to believe they're running behind on appointments anymore. The local network schedules in 20 minute blocks, and I've NEVER had a single appointment face to face with a doctor for more than 10. Usually less than 5 unless there's something majorly wrong. And despite "privacy" of separate rooms, I can hear surrounding rooms taking just as long.

I'm probably being too cynical and harsh, but after almost dying because the asshole who examined me dismissed EXTREMELY obvious signs because "you probably just need to lose weight" I've retained less and less patience with local medical staff. And the next closest office/network that will accept my insurance is almost an hour away. So yeah.

29

How do you even know how much time has passed in the exam room? There's no windows or clocks. It's like a shitty casino.

20

I wear a watch, but most people have a clock on the phone they're staring at the whole time they're waiting.

16
Yeah, I don't want to win any of the games in that casino.

9
Uhh, a wristwatch? Your phone?

4
They should add a blackjack table to my Drs office.

1

My dentist just does this. End of appointment she walks out. No “that’ll be all for you today” or “schedule your next appointment at the counter”

Anyway 10 minutes.

19

Get a new dentist. I'm in the process of doing this myself

6

An hour? But, I'm easily entertained by my devices and probably wouldn't notice the time going by. It also heavily depends on what else I have going on; I always pad my schedule for doctors, but even so, there might be something else I have to get to.

It's medical. The person before me may have needed more time. I think doctors have a harder time than most estimating how much time a patient will need, and I don't want them rushing me out the door.

18

Permanently Deleted

5
- Yeah, that sounds live it sucks. I'd hate to have kids in the US with its long wait times and relatively shitty healthcare.
  
  3

Unless you're Abed Nadir

18

Damn you, you outlying piece of datum!

14

I know, at least for younger me, it was above 2 hours. I had a bunch of exams, and people were leading me to different rooms. After an x-ray:

-- wait here and we will get you if we want another picture

like two hours pass, and someone comes in the door:

-- oh, there you are, come on, next exam

17

Conversely, you really don't want to be getting seen promptly at a hospital. Ideally you want to be in the middle third of the priority order; get seen reasonably quickly, but not "holy shit you are going to die if we don't deal with you now" quickly

17

I know you really wanted to say this point but it's mostly unrelated to the original post. The post refers to an exam room, you're talking about waiting rooms.

11
- why the downvotes this is completely correct. Exam room and waiting room is a totally different story
  
  4

I once fell asleep while wearing the paper gown at the gynecologist’s. I don’t know how long I waited, but I had a really nice nap and they were super apologetic when I woke up and popped my head out.

16

As someone that likes to nap, you've inspired me for my next visit.

13
Everytime I go to the dentist, just when I'm about to fall asleep the dentist tells me to keep my mouth open

6
- I get a wedge on the inactive side so I can sleep 💀
  
  2

If I'm just there for a checkup I'm walking out after an hour. If I'm legitimately sick I'll probably sit there all day until someone gives me medicine lol

14

My wife once sat in the room for a very long time before someone came to prep the room for the next patient...

14

There really is no justification for it. It's part of the American healthcare experience. It makes them money to have no downtime between patients. It costs them nothing to make you wait. They book patient appointments with this philosophy in mind and it's incredibly disrespectful.

13

The same reason flights are always overbooked. They rather oversell and hope someone cancels than undersell.

2
The flipside of this is that they have no downtime between patients because demand is through the roof and there aren't enough doctors. Predicting how long each visit will take is fraught, plus emergent stuff may come up that throws off the already tight schedule. Better to have a long time in the waiting room than wait weeks/months longer to get an appointment at all

2

At 35 minutes I ask them if they'd accept me being 35 minutes late to the appointment, or would they just consider it a no show

12

I did that when the doctor was 40 mins to my appointment and it didn't go down well.

I do not recommend pissing off the overworked tired person in charge of your wellbeing

16
- Yeah, I had one time where the doctor was 2 hours late. I had taken time off work for the appointment, too, but had I known he was running that late, I could have worked my normal schedule and still be there in plenty of time. Frustrating as hell, and he sincerely apologized for it.
  
  But you never know what happened earlier in the day that caused that.
  
  Someday, I might be the patient that needs that extra time.
  
  6

Could be a sign they intend to admit you and don't have any beds available yet

10

They should communicate that then...

5
- Yeah they should, but they rarely have the time to do that
  
  All the beds occupied means shit is going down in an all hands way and that means updating people on the time table they're being admitted within is a very low priority
  
  4

I just start looking for neat shit I can steal for my backpacking first aid kit.

9

Thanks for the idea!

2

30 min, and if it happened more than once I'd change doctors and 1 star them. Get your shit together.

8

At what point do you start filling pockets with random things?

8

A pen, a notebook, a handful of syringes and lots of post-it notes, the multi colored ones

4
- ~~Popsicle sticks~~ tongue depressors.
  
  2
I don’t know why this is so funny! 😄 There’s something about waiting in the actual room that makes you feel so forgotten. At some point, you’re entitled to start taking shit😂

2

Seriously tho. Why even bring me in the room if you're gonna take 45 min to get to me. Those rooms are cold, I'd rather be in the waiting room tbh.

7

Ive been to the emergency room on a Friday night in Norway (legevakt). It's about 5 hours. It was fine, it wasn't appendicitis after all.

7

At least an hour and 45 minutes... cause that's the longest I've been forgotten in the exam room. But I never peeked my head out or asked, I just kinda waited.

I don't know how much longer I would've waited without finally saying something... so yeah, seven hours seems reasonable to me

6

I feel like after 15 minutes, I'd lose it and start eating the cotton balls Elf-style and develop a worse condition than I came in with.

3
- I don’t know why I find this so funny 😂 I recently had to wait about an hour for my doctor in one of the rooms and I was going nuts.
  
  1

I have this really bad problem I have to work very hard to get over when I am at a doctor- I have this need for the doctor to be pleased with me and not disappointed in what I have to say, so I find myself telling the doctor what I think they want to hear before correcting myself and saying the truth. It's like I think the doctor will hate me if I have the wrong symptoms. I don't know why.

5

Really common. Hard for many of us to not do this. It's the same when you're in technical support; people lie about the circumstances because they don't want to look bad in front of the techie. Or doctor. Or dentist. Or mechanic.

6

I might get a little antsy once all the lights turn off...

4

In my clinic the patients are asking if the doctor is 11 minutes late, i ask them if they've ever read their letters that state prepare to be here at least 2-3 hours in case of delay. Every patient takes a various amount of time y'all.

4

Every patient takes a various amount of time y’all.

idk, from the patient's perspective my experience has been that I get three minutes of doctor time regardless of what my complaint is or even whether the doctor knows what I'm there for. "I'm feeling kinda low lately." "Here's an rx for an effexor. I'll not be explaining what it is, what it does, or any side effects to look out for. If you have any issues, such as a days long hypomanic episode that leads to you sobbing and obsessively vacuuming the floors, here's the number of someone who cares. NEXT!"

8
- Not my patients, they have complex problems and need a lot of time. Maintaining someone on a real medical keto diet or starting chemotherapy for MS or refilling pain pumps for paraplegics is not a quick task.
  
  2

I take the Dennis Reynolds approach:

“I will come down on this hospital like the hammer of Thor! The thunder of my vengeance will echo through these corridors like the gust of a thousand winds!”

https://youtu.be/3fjQOn5_EUk

4

30 minutes period. Why would I give them far more time than is considered reasonable in basically any other context? I have walked out before

3

like 40 minutes maybe?

3

This sounds right, but also,

the incentive to just chill on my phone because I'm finally in a place where I have permission to do nothing but chill on my phone? Very strong.

8
- Well in this case I have been chilling for 40 minutes already.
  
  4

After 5 minutes I go find someone and tell them that I took time off work to be there, we scheduled an appointment for an agreed upon time, and they're wasting my time with their unprofessional conduct. The doctor usually shows up within minutes after that. Don't put up with their bullshit. Your time is every bit as valuable as theirs. If there was an emergency then I'm perfectly understanding, but that's rarely the case.

2

When I was young I had a difficult time asserting myself. Now in my late 30s, I find myself putting up with less and less bullshit. That said, it's frustrating that took basically half of my life to learn how to speak my mind. I blame my grandmother for giving me her anxiety.

6
- At least you're better at it now! Congratulations.
  
  4

I never understand like why people include words that are like verbal idioms in their like written text. It's like really annoying. Like?

-10

Its one like. Like, I am sure you can survive that.

5
"Written text" is like, redundant.

3
I do it sometimes to help convey my tone ¯⁠\⁠(⁠°⁠_⁠o⁠)⁠/⁠¯

2