A Drawback of Walk-In Medical Clinics
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If you are in a large city, there is probably a medical walk-in clinic in your area. It is a facility that provides medical services, without having had to make a previous appointment. A person just has to wait for the next available doctor. There are some facilities that are staffed on a twenty four hour basis.
One of the drawbacks of the walk-in clinics is that the patient does not always see the same physician. There is no continuity of service, except for what is written on the medical charts. In the days when people used ‘a family doctor’, that physician saw that person on a regular basis. Perhaps that physician also saw other members of the family. There was a relationship that extended, for some families, for decades.
Perhaps, for the most part, those days are gone. Many people want their medical services in a fast food manner: available, fast and now - with very little waiting. One of the missing elements is that this does not give the physician a chance to see the person on a regular basis. The regular interaction is important. Are there any facial changes? Is the speech the same? Has the patient’s presentation changed in any manner? These and a myriad of other questions are not easy to qualify or quantify on a medical chart. It is gleaned from the physician knowing the patient.
That sort of long term personal interaction is lost in most walk-in clinic situations. The attending physician at the walk-in clinic treats the problem and may never see that person again. Some people say that continuity of service will be resolved partially with electronic data bases, where access to a person’s medical records is available across venues. That, however, will not replace the importance of a relationship and having a family physician see a person, face-to-face, over the years. It may seem old fashioned, in this electronic age, but that long term human interaction is still important and sometimes crucial.
Catherine Forsythe
4 Comments
teddgcm
July 18th, 2008
at 12:31pm
I use one of those walk in clinics on a regular basis.However, as you said, they do not provide the personal experience that you once had with a doctor. Most recently I had rather bad back pain and one of the doctors at On Call Medical Clinic and they sent me to get an MRI, when I returned another doctor read the results to me, and yet another doctor prescribed medication. All of them were obviously looking for one thing. Speed. It’s all about quantity rather than quality in those places.
I decided to go to a local Neurology doctor who spent 20 minutes with me talking about cell phones when he found out where I worked, gave me his personal (not business) email, and encouraged me to call him on his cell phone should I have any questions or problems. Needless to say, I have found my doctor for what might turn out to be back surgery. The “Old School” doctors are still out there, but they are getting harder and harder to find. When you do find one, hold on to him/her.
Gautham
July 19th, 2008
at 8:48am
When medical attention is necessary, I guess we have to go with the faster and easily available one. Can’t really complain when receiving medical attn itself is becoming difficult.
One should be aware of the type of service they provide and avoid them for serious stuff. For chronic issues and medical problems of a serious degree should always be taken to a proper hospital. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?
a gindin
July 19th, 2008
at 12:17pm
people used to ask me what socialized medicine was like. i used to say, “visit England.” now YOU know ag
Kevin Bailey
July 21st, 2008
at 9:19am
I use a “regular” medical facility, living in a small community the only “walk in service” for medical attention is at the one hospital in the town. I could not get an appointment with my doctor within a 60 day window for a “regular checkup” I called in mid October to get one in before the end of the year as my kids had recently met the family deductible so I tried to squeeze my physical in before the end of the year instead of waiting until February when it was due. I could not get in to see my doctor as he was booked up until the end of December. Could I see another doctor? Not unless I scheduled an introductory visit with them and they had room for new patients. I did not want to switch doctors just wanted to see one before the end of the year for a physical check up. Not possible according to their office procedures.
What did I do. I switched doctors. To one outside there office that got me in for an intro and physical within two weeks. I was able to revisit six months later with only a days notice for a sinus infection. I expect that to change now though because all the doctors are now under the same organization, a sub of the hospital because insurance for malpractice is to high to get on their own!