Like most in Annapolis, you rarely look forward to seeing the doctor. Yet whenever you do see a physician, you should reasonably expect that you have their full and undivided attention. Many have come to us here at & Herriot LLC after having experienced a misdiagnosis or other medical error believing that based off the time of their visits, they were not afforded that benefit.
This inevitably raises the question of how long should a visit to the doctor last. During an appointment, a doctor is expected to do the following:
- Review your medical history
- Perform a check of your bodily systems
- Gather enough information to make an informed decision regarding your diagnosis
Any diagnostic tests that are performed or treatment you receive stem from the aforementioned tasks. Thus, this is baseline expectation you should have when seeing the doctor.
Exactly how long should that take? When and where you receive your care could influence the length of your visit. A doctor in a clinic may have more time to spend with you individually than one working in a hospital emergency department. If you are looking for an average time against which you can compare your visit, Reuters reports that the average length of a doctor’s appointment in the U.S. is roughly 20 minutes.
You can typically feel when you are being rushed. If you do not feel 20 minutes was not enough time to address your concerns, and your condition later worsened, then you may reasonably assume your doctor did not dedicate enough time to you. You can learn more about the potential sources of doctor errors by continuing to explore our site.