[intopieces]

> Patients can quickly become more expert than GPs with regards to their own diseases, especially if they have months to research it.

Waking into a 15 minute appointment with months worth of research seems like a bad way to approach collaboration with healthcare professionals. Or do people still have personal relationships with doctors outside the appointment window?

It seems like GPs have become dispensers of medicine rather than care.

[carbocation]

It isn't always possible to answer every question in 15 minutes, but I think it's helpful when people have questions to come prepared with those questions. It's literally our job to provide health advice; the "realities" of dealing with high volume can't/shouldn't change that.

[mathgladiator]

Concierge medicine in some areas allow hour long appointments which makes the exchange of complex health concerns effective. I really wish the model would scale up, but primary care doctors are currently slaves to an administration.

[umvi]

The only people that do months of research are those with a chronic disease (diabetes, cancer, Lyme, etc.)

However, many people will at least do several hours of research before going into the doctor

[amyjess]

Regarding chronic disease...

So I have a friend with Hashimoto's. Before finally being diagnosed, she had a long history of being misdiagnosed, blown off, and having her symptoms dismissed as nothing. After being diagnosed, she connected with a number of other Hashimoto's patients and sufferers of chronic illness in general and found out that pretty much everyone she's talked to has the same stories. Constant invalidation, ignoring of symptoms, doctors just plain not listening, until they finally find someone who actually knows their stuff.