Study:  81 percent of doctors can’t spend as much time with patients as they’d like

(WITN, GREENVILLE, NC) —  A healthcare group released a new study showing an increase in healthcare burnout in both patients and doctors.

MDVIP is a healthcare group with over 13-hundred primary care physicians nationwide that found that the frustration of long waits for appointments and rushed doctor’s visits aren’t only felt by patients.

The study says 81% of doctors say they can’t spend as much time with their patients as they’d like.

Dr. Andrea Klemes, MDVIP Chief Medical Officer told WITN, “Doctors may have, especially primary care doctors, may have over 2,000 patients in their practice and all these patients are competing for appointments and so while they’re trying to get everyone in, working 50-60 hour work weeks, they’re seeing 20-25 patients a day so there’s really not enough time to spend with patients. 2/3rds of doctors said that healthcare has gotten transactional, not relational so you know, without that doctor/patient relationship, patients just feel like a number.”

The study reports that if doctors had more time, 78% say they would spend it getting to the root cause of patient issues, and 77% would focus on patient health span and longevity.

According to MDVIP, due to the challenges, fewer patients are prioritizing their health by not going to see their primary care physicians.

Regardless of the many frustrations, Klemes says it’s vital to take advantage of your visits.

“Make a list and tell your doctor about the list at the beginning of the appointment so they can leave time. Make that first appointment in the morning or the one after lunch, and if you feel that you’re not getting what you need — talk to your doctor about it, and if it’s still not a great fit, then you can look for other physicians that maybe have smaller patient panels or that maybe have more time to focus on you,” Klemes said.

The study also showed burnout in healthcare workers with 52% of doctors saying they wouldn’t go into primary care if they could do it over again.

WITN reached out to over a dozen local doctors and patients in the east about the new study. However, many declined or WITN did not hear back in time for this story.