The Superioity Complex

Some people refer to this as the 'God Complex' but that is a term I refuse to use.


If only I had as much time with doctors as I spend waiting on them I would be happier!  Countless hours must be spent by myself and others waiting to see doctors for our 'appointments.'   The average wait time from the time you enter the door until you see the doctor is over 21 minutes, with some times up to an hour.  (Some one is seeing different doctors than me if they can be in in 20 minutes or so). The time to see a doctor in the Emergency room can be much worse! Times to wait for an appointment can be from a week to a year depending on the local and geographic location.

The same can be said when waiting to see a doctor in the hospital, or even worse, because you never know when they will show up.  Is our time not as important as theirs?  Might we not have other appointments to tend to?  Decisions to be made based on their words of wisdom?  Still we are at the mercy of the doctor as we sit waiting to see them.

Then once you actually see the doctor it seems that they are in a hurry to get to the next person (which of course they are because they are running late all ready!).  When in the hospital the average 'visit time' is around 1 minute 45 seconds if the doctor is standing and just over a minute if they sit down according to one study.  According to the study, patients understood better when the doctor sat down about 95% as opposed to 61% when the doctor remained standing.

Once you see a doctor in their office, the average time you get to spend with them is about fifteen minutes.  How is it possible that they can hear, discuss, diagnose and cure (or prescribe) in that amount of time?  This seems absolutely absurd when in many instances a situation can be unique to the individual, not to mention everyone is different and the subscription (of treatment or medicine) doesn't work the same for everybody the same.

Technology (medicine) are constantly changing and the doctor may not be up on the latest treatments, if he ever saw the problem, or it may be a rare disease or condition.  Continuing education (CE) is almost always a requirement for licensed professionals but even that won't keep them up to date with everything.  Also, where they get their CE can be a concern.  These days a number of pharmaceutical companies provide CE.  Always a chance of prejudice when anything is free!

A patient would do well to educate themselves as much as to be able to talk to the doctor.  At least communicate to the doctor as best you can your condition and symptoms.   Don't waste valuable time chit-chatting (you are paying for the appointment).  Educate yourself as well as you can before going to the doctor so it isn't just their word and you can make more educated decisions.

Remember the doctor is not necessarily an authority on you condition and they are definitely not a superior being.