World of Psychology

Can’t Reach Your Doctor? You’re Not Alone

By John M Grohol PsyD
March 19, 2008

One of the most frustrating experiences of health and mental health treatment in the U.S. is the inability to actually talk to your doctor or therapist when you call them. Or to receive a timely callback. My wife has literally tried contacting one of her doctors for weeks without response.

Now, while I understand doctors and therapists need to actually do work throughout the day and can’t always get to the phone, what about in the case of an emergency involving one of their patients?

Tara Parker-Pope over at the New York Times health blog, Well, notes an article published in last months’ Annals of Internal Medicine that chronicles one doctor’s attempt to contact another doctor about one of their patients who had to be hospitalized. A doctor can’t reach another doctor, even when it’s an emergency, because many hospitals and clinics have purposely put up multiple layers of barriers to prevent just such contact.

While the full article isn’t available online, a reading of the comments to this entry is both telling and disturbing.


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Comment to
“Can’t Reach Your Doctor? You’re Not Alone”

hi im a universty student i dont thing im clever than other people but i usually find people stupıd i know it is not true but this couse me alone what should i do sometimes i consider im crazy please help me

Join the Conversation! Post a Comment:


(Required, will be published)

(Required, but will not be published)

(Optional)


    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 19 Mar 2008

 


Recent Comments
  • FU.: After you find out how high is up,what’s beyond that?
  • Nepal Expedition: Great list i am agree with this pages
  • GeneB: Dr. Grohol, I’d be interested in finding any information on the “cyber life” of one who is...
  • jose pluma: does size matter?
  • bonnie: I dont know if any of you watch Glee. Well, it is not a deep show, but in the last episode I actually got...
Article Tools
Bookmark
Print
Email Friend


Stumble It!


Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter


Users Online: 773
Join Us Now!




Follow us on Twitter!

Find us on Facebook!