Time
Authors: Frank Davidoff
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1997)

Editorials15 September 1997TimeFrank Davidoff, MD, EditorFrank Davidoff, MD, EditorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-127-6-199709150-00011 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail You can't see, touch, smell, or taste it, but we spend tens of billions of health care dollars on it every year. To many patients and their physicians, it is precious, maybe the most precious of all medical resources. Yet we know only a little about how to use it efficiently or about the impact of using more or less of it, and we spend virtually nothing for research on its diagnostic and therapeutic implications. It is, of course, time.Physicians have always been busy people, although they have generally controlled the way they use their time. In 1993, for ...References1. Lowes RL. Are you expected to see too many patients? Med Econ. 1995; 72:52-3, 57-9. Google Scholar2. Howie JG, Porter AM, Heaney DJ, Hopton JL. Long to short consultation ratio: a proxy measure of quality of care for general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1991; 41:48-54. Google Scholar3. Collins KS, Schoen C, Sandman DR. The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Physician Experiences with Managed Care. New York: The Commonwealth Fund; 1997:1, A-1. Google Scholar4. Laine C, Davidoff F, Lewis CE, Nelson EC, Nelson E, Kessler RC, et al. Important elements of outpatient care: a comparison of patients' and physicians' opinions. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 125:640-5. Google Scholar5. Waitzkin H. Doctor-patient communication. Clinical implications of social scientific research. JAMA. 1984; 252:2441-6. Google Scholar6. Ridsdale L, Carruthers M, Morris R, Ridsdale J. Study of the effect of time availability on the consultation. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1989; 39:488-91. Google Scholar7. Cohen-Cole SA. The Medical Interview: The Three-Function Approach. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book; 1991:11-41. Google Scholar8. Tamblyn R, Berkson L, Dauphinee WD, Gayton D, Grad R, Huang A, et al. Unnecessary prescribing of NSAIDs and the management of NSAID-related gastropathy in medical practice. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 127:429-38. Google Scholar9. Beisecker AE, Beisecker TD. Patient information-seeking behaviors when communicating with doctors. Med Care. 1990; 28:19-28. Google Scholar10. Marvel MK, Doherty WJ, Baird MA. Levels of physician involvement with psychosocial concerns of individual patients: a developmental model. Fam Med. 1993; 25:337-42. Google Scholar11. Weller DP, Litt JC, Pols RG, Ali RL, Southgate DO, Harris RD. Drug and alcohol related health problems in primary care-what do GPs think? Med J Aust. 1992; 156:43-8. Google Scholar12. Howie JG, Heaney DJ, Maxwell M. Measuring Quality in General Practice: Pilot Study of a Needs, Process and Outcome Measure. London: Royal College of General Practitioners; 1997. Google Scholar13. Morrell DC, Evans ME, Morris RW, Roland MO. The "five minute" consultation: effect of time constraint on clinical content and patient satisfaction. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1986; 292:870-3. Google Scholar14. Roland MO, Bartholomew J, Courtenay MJ, Morris RW, Morrell DC. The "five minute" consultation: effect of time constraint on verbal communication. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1986; 292:874-6. Google Scholar15. Gilley J. Towards rational prescribing [Editorial]. BMJ. 1994; 308:731-2. Google Scholar16. Toon PD. Quality in general practice [Editorial]. J R Soc Med. 1997; 90:241-2. Google Scholar17. Beckman HB, Frankel RM. The effect of physician behavior on the collection of data. Ann Intern Med. 1984; 101:692-6. Google Scholar18. Davidoff F. Medical interviewing. The crucial skill that gets short shrift. In: Davidoff F. Who Has Seen a Blood Sugar? Reflections on Medical Education. Philadelphia: American Coll Physicians; 1996:76-80. Google Scholar19. Brook RH, Kamberg CJ, McGlynn EA. Health system reform and quality. JAMA. 1996; 276:476-80. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoUnnecessary Prescribing of NSAIDs and the Management of NSAID-Related Gastropathy in Medical Practice Robyn Tamblyn , Laeora Berkson , W. Dale Dauphinee , David Gayton , Roland Grad , Allen Huang , Lisa Isaac , Peter McLeod , and Linda Snell Metrics Cited byBetween Balance and Burnout: Contrasting the Working-Time Conditions of Irish-Trained Hospital Doctors in Ireland and AustraliaTeaching in ClinicA randomized controlled trial to determine whether a video presentation improves informed consent for hysterectomySafety First: Conversational Agents for Health CareAyaktan tanı ve tedavi başvurularında hasta başına kaç dakika ayrılmalıdır?Maximizing therapeutic success: The key concepts of individualized medical strategy (IMS)Parental knowledge in pediatric otolaryngology surgical consultations: A qualitative content analysisAn example of using a decision making framework designed for non-medical prescribers as a method for enhancing prescribing safety for inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)Self-Directed Learning and Adult EducationUse of an Interactive Computer Agent to Support BreastfeedingFour minutes for a patient, twenty seconds for a relative - an observational study at a university hospitalCan final year medical students significantly contribute to patient care? A pilot study about the perception of patients and clinical staffCompeting forces in outpatient healthcare delivery: theory and empiricsUsing computer agents to explain medical documents to patients with low health literacyTaking the time to careHow psychiatrists thinkHow Strategies for Managing Patient Visit Time Affect Physician Job Satisfaction: A Qualitative AnalysisTHE ROLE OF GESTURE IN DOCUMENT EXPLANATION BY EMBODIED CONVERSATIONAL AGENTSWhy Some Adult Canadians Do Not Have Blood Pressure MeasuredPrimary Care Visit Length, Quality, and Satisfaction for Standardized Patients with DepressionInformation and shared decision-making are top patients' prioritiesHealth dialog systems for patients and consumersDoctor–patient communications in the Aboriginal community: Towards the development of educational programsTowards evidence-based diagnosis in developing countries: The use of likelihood ratios for robust quick diagnosisCommunication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammogramsHealth literacy and knowledge of chronic diseaseInnovations in Access to Care: A Patient-Centered ApproachLeonard L. Berry, PhD, Kathleen Seiders, PhD, and Susan S. Wilder, MDPhysicians??? Assessments of Their Ability to Provide High-Quality Care in a Changing Health Care SystemCardiac auscultatory skills of physicians-in-training: a comparison of three English-speaking countriesIncluding Nutrition in an Ambulatory Care Path for Patients with Type 2 DiabetesA comparison of hourly block appointments with sequential patient scheduling in a dermatology practiceManaged care, time pressure, and physician job satisfaction: Results from the physician worklife studySpeed: The Challenge to Medicine in the New EraRichard V. Lee, MD and Frank Davidoff, MDTime and the patient-physician relationshipBreast cancer care in older womenContinuing medical education for European general practitioners in doctor-patient relationship skills and psychosocial issuesHealth Document Explanation by Virtual AgentsSelf-Directed Learning and Adult Education 15 September 1997Volume 127, Issue 6Page: 483-485KeywordsHand strengthHealth careHealth care qualityHealth information technologyMedical educationMedical staffNSAIDsObservational studiesScientistsTouch Issue Published: 15 September 1997 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1997 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...