What strategies do you use when Dr not listening or taking serious?

Some people on this site apparently live on another planet, one I would like to move to. These people talk about calling one’s doctor or choosing another, better doctor or about a doctor listening and caring well enough to arrange the best care, about the doc having the time to do that.

Here on earth, few humans have the luxury of such positive interactions with a competent and available physician. People like me are more and more dependent on AI and the luck of the draw at ERs and Urgent Care. Often we earthlings need care but are too sick to wait the many hours in the ER waiting room to see some random doctor who may or may not know what to do.

Some people on this site apparently live on another planet, one I would like to move to. These people talk about calling one’s doctor or choosing another, better doctor or about a doctor listening and caring well enough to arrange the best care, about the doc having the time to do that.

Here on earth, few humans have the luxury of such positive interactions with a competent and available physician. People like me are more and more dependent on AI and the luck of the draw at ERs and Urgent Care. Often we earthlings need care but are too sick to wait the many hours in the ER waiting room to see some random doctor who may or may not know what to do.

What do you call it when person A tells you what person B will do, but person B doesn’t do it? This is part of our failing medical situation. For example, the medical office says, « We referred you to ENT. They will call you to set up an appointment. » No call arrives. Calling them fails. No appointments are available until March of 2027 and you are bleeding now. This kind of false promise is very common in the medical experience where I am. Is there a name for this problem?

We have learned to call the first part of the medical call « phone menu hell ». Everybody knows what that means. And when a complaint is met with an AI voice as response, we talk about « getting AI-ed.»

I think that talking accurately about the current medical experience and its wasting of our time is important in correctly identifying the problems and solving them. We need to name the problem better. Any ideas?

@suerte Having a Physician that truly cares about you, as a patient, who listens to what you have to say, and who respects you enough, to treat you as a fellow human being, in need of advice and professional medical help, is of prime importance! A Doctor who takes the time, even under administrative time restraints, to show interest in helping you solve your symptom and signs concerns, is a keeper, in my opinion! I have had medical professionals be apathetic with me, and have, unfortunately, been dismissive of my comments! In those instances, I have, if possible, put in place, a plan to change to another medical professional! That can be risky, for several reasons! However, over the last 80 years, the best experiences that have benefited my health the most, is when I have researched and been seen by the best qualified medical professionals, that I have chosen as providing my medical care!

@foundryrat743 you are lucky to be able to choose. In Canada we can’t. We take whichever family physician we can find - sometimes waiting more than a year to find one. Family physician makes the referral to a specialist, and we take who we get.

@rashida My wife is a Canadian citizen, who was born, over 80 years ago, at a hospital, in a suburb of Toronto! We have been married for 55 years, and used to visit Canada, 🇨🇦 seeing relatives, usually several times a year! We used to discuss health care deficiencies, in Canada! My wife’s Aunt and Uncle, whom we were fond of, both had serious health problems, and, even though the government pays medical bills, they often had trouble getting timely doctor appointments, and treatments. For example, my wife’s Uncle needed a heart operation, and had to wait about 9 months, before the operation could be scheduled, and they had to accept whatever Doctor’s, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, assigned to their care, most of the time. So, I understand how the medical care system works in Canada!🇨🇦 Yes, I do enjoy the privilege of choosing my health care providers. However, availability, closed practices, and other factors, like where one lives, can make choosing a good health care provider, especially an internist, or specialist provider, more difficult than what one might realize! A real negative is the high cost of insurance coverage, and co pay costs! For example, vision exam and eyeglass coverage is not covered by Medicare or my secondary insurance coverage! Because I have to have prisms in my eyeglasses , because of astigmatism, this year my eye exam and glasses cost me a total of $1200.00. Thank you for your comment!

@foundryrat743 the operative word is choice. You get to choose your doctors and specialists. We don’t.

Here too eye exams are not covered, nor are prescription glasses unless you have extended health coverage. We can pay as much or more for an eye exam and specialty lenses. Opthalmologists are covered, but only by referral from a physician (who decides whether you need to see one) and only for major eye problems like cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc.

@tatiana987 all I really wanted to say in my original post is about the poor care we get. It's frustrating ( from a earthlings standpoint) that medicine has advanced and care has declined. I know what kind of dr I need. But it's easier to find a needle in a haystack.