Where did the ‘care’ go in healthcare?
According to a recent Brandcare survey of healthcare consumers, time given by a physician to a patient is one of the most important satisfaction parameters in a patient- physician relationship or rather what’s left of it. Doctors are hard pressed to find time to build meaningful relationships with their patients. The average doctor-patient time is about 4 minutes at the primary care in India.
Shouldn’t there be an emphasis on the overall healing, encompassing both physical and emotional well being? While ‘peer reviewed’ is a much sought after in healthcare, shouldn’t there be equal emphasis on ‘patient reviewed’? Imagine a world where patients rated doctors on three important Cs – competence, compassion and care. A score which influences the credits they are required to take every year. A system so patient reviewed will reward doctors who actually deserve esteem from their peers and patients.
Healthcare is hungry for technological disruption. Health tech companies can easily set up a system, in tandem with the ministry of health, that allows the patient to rate the doctor based on the care provided. The romancing of health and technology with a patient focus can create immense social value that can truly help put the ‘care’ back in the ‘healthcare’.
Rashmi Thosar
CEO, Brandcare
One Reply to “Where did the ‘care’ go in healthcare?”
Several research studies have been published online on “effects of physician spending time with patients on patient care”. Following are the effects identified:
Higher patient satisfaction
Better management of chronic diseases
Better diagnosis
Appropriateness of prescriptions
Higher physician satisfaction