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Make it make sense - hospital rant

Expecto_Patronum

Hospital appointment rant. Turned up for my appointment to be told there's a bit of a wait as there's 4 people booked at the same time and a person for the next time has turned up as well. Well for starters the person who turned up early should be waiting until their booked time, that is just common sense. But how does it make sense to book 4 people in at the same time. Just give them their own individual slots. I will never understand these clinic set ups that hospital appointments are run by. How does giving numerous people the same appointment time help in any way shape or form? It just guarantees longer wait times for patients.

Parents
  • Expecto_Patronum said:
    How does giving numerous people the same appointment time help in any way shape or form?

    Because there are more patients than slots as  has pointed out.  (and maybe because waiting list are the priority and what is being measured...)

    I've run clinics myself and regularly over-ran on appointments because I found short cutting them meant I personally wasn't able to do them in the time available - still not sure if this was autism having a delaying cause, being thorough to save time and grief later or  just I was not very good at it!

    Personally were I responsible for arranging them I would suggest this:

    Because appointments with patients cannot be predictably timed for how long they will take.  Different patients different needs.  By placing 4 patients in one slot of 4X the average time for one patient this difference may be accomodated whilst optimising the maximum use of the limited resources.

    Also have a thought for the poor souls having to meet professional and ethical standards and meet increasingly challenging demands.

    Whatever, telling you this first might have made things easier to tolerate, granted.

    Best Wishes

  • in reply to Phased

    It makes zero sense to me that it could possibly be a more effective system than actually giving patients their own times. As I was seen an hour and a half late, it obviously isn't a system that is working.

  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum

    I can sympathise, with hospitals, but also with you as I find it distressing to be left waiting that long and anxiety can spike.

    It can also lead to people getting annoyed and then if they complain can get accused of being abusive if staff themselves are short tempered. If you have ADHD, I can imagine a wait that long is unbearable.

    If someone works, trying to explain why your so late to your boss might not be good for staying employed either. 

    Not a good system all round.

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  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum

    I can sympathise, with hospitals, but also with you as I find it distressing to be left waiting that long and anxiety can spike.

    It can also lead to people getting annoyed and then if they complain can get accused of being abusive if staff themselves are short tempered. If you have ADHD, I can imagine a wait that long is unbearable.

    If someone works, trying to explain why your so late to your boss might not be good for staying employed either. 

    Not a good system all round.

Children
  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum

    The only time it was different was the old dentist when I was a kid. He had a mobile van and used to go round all the schools in the area, and often when you went, the person sitting next to you had the same time. But you were never waiting long before you were seen and had to go back to class.

    When he retired they found they needed to hire 3 dentists to replace him. He was a legend and the nicest dentist to boot, but the poor guy eneded up with a bit of a humped back from spending his life bent over.  He gave my littlest sibling a thundercats sword once which his grandchild had grown out of.

    Sorry, it's a complete tangent, but I was hoping it might cheer you up from a rough day.

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    Yes I can see that hospitals are under pressure to get patients seen etc. But I can't see how hours worth of wait times is helpful to anyone. Patients or hospital staff.