Doctor response time?

[ErikaHouston]

If you leave a message for a Dr. or nurse, what is an "OK" response time? I am getting very frustrated with it sometimes taking 4-5+ days to get a response and wanting to see if this is normal or not. I do not call often and when I do it is very valid questions.

I like my Dr. but actually considering switching over this.

 

[Lisa]

With my Dr, I get a call back THAT DAY if it is something important...this is at a busy teaching hospital.....sometimes it is even my Dr that calls - NOT a nurse/receptionist.

I also do tell them if it is urgent or not - and I don't call often for problems (thankfully don't have many lately!)

 

[littlemissh]

Depends if you are talking about a gp or a consultant. My gp I get a call within a couple of hours, my consultant that day if he is at the hospital I have taken to emailing his secretary which works well.

 

[partlycloudy]

I get a call back the same day from his nurse, typically within three hours. I've on occasion gotten a call back from the doc himself but mostly it's his nurse.

I really should compliment them on their response time. It's wonderful.

Have you considered discussing this with your doc? Since you like him it'd probably be worth trying to resolve. He may be unaware of the problem. I'm not sure when you say you leave a message with him if you mean literally on his cell or something. My doc's nurse screens all of his messages. She's a total b**ch, but I love my doc so......

 

[ErikaHouston]

I get a call back the same day from his nurse, typically within three hours. I've on occasion gotten a call back from the doc himself but mostly it's his nurse.

I really should compliment them on their response time. It's wonderful.

Have you considered discussing this with your doc? Since you like him it'd probably be worth trying to resolve. He may be unaware of the problem. I'm not sure when you say you leave a message with him if you mean literally on his cell or something. My doc's nurse screens all of his messages. She's a total b**ch, but I love my doc so......

It is with the nurse and I'm not a huge fan of her....good point. May be an issue with the nurse, not the Dr. But if I can't get a hold of anyone, hard to address ! I will see if I can find a direct route to the Dr. or nurse's boss. It's a big university facility with many docs.

 

[tiloah]

Wow! You guys have fast response times. My doctor's assistant will call back "the same day if your call is received before 3 p.m." but they don't actually adhere to that. Usually I hear back the next day if I need them to do something.

 

[littlemissh]

It may be that I have only ever contacted when absolutely necessary. Last time I rang my consultant he made the comment it must be bad for me to ring him. I guess if I rang a lot more, response times may become longer. As I said I have found email really helpful.

 

[Rebecca85]

At my hospital, we are asked to contact the IBD nurses who can sometimes deal with it themselves, if not they will refer it to the consultant. I have only ever had non-urgent requests (e.g. Copies of blood tests), I emailed them and got responses back the next day on both occasions.

 

[littlemissh]

Rebecca-Not been introduced to ibd nurse as yet. Just IBD dietician and consultant. How long after diagnosis were you seen by IBD nurse? I know there is a new one - she arrived at our sub hospital at my last opd appt. Am sure there must already be other IBD nurses.
Even had hospital stays since diagnosis in October .

 

[crazycanuck]

I get calls back same day. No matter where my doc is. Shes called me on vacation from san fran once (im in vancouver). As far as Im concerned anything more than 24 hours is unacceptable.

 

[Rebecca85]

Littlemissh- my first appointment with the nurse was end of Aug, I had seen the consultant in June (when they officially gave me the diagnosis) and they wanted to start me on aza but couldn't because I had a holiday planned, so when I got back I saw the nurse to pick up the prescription. So only a couple of months after diagnosis. However, I haven't yet seen the dietician, I gave up asking!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

My GI's office (usually one of his nurses, but sometimes my GI himself) almost always calls me back the same day, or the following morning if I call & leave a message late in the day. I think the longest I've waited for a call back was about 2 days. My GI encourages me to call with any questions. As he once told me, an office visit costs money (at least here in the US it does) but a phone call is always free! I probably call my GI's office an average of once every 1 to 2 weeks, and I almost always get a prompt reply. My GI sometimes works in the clinic and sometimes at the hospital, so if there is a delay it is because his staff is having a hard time tracking him down.

 

[ameslouise]

I always get a call back from my doc himself, unless it's something mundane like copies of reports. It may not be until 7 pm, but it's always the same day.

I agree that you should let your doc know about the long response time. If s/he thinks that's acceptable, I don't care how much you like the doc. That is just not cool, especially with this disease...

- Amy

 

[partlycloudy]

But if I can't get a hold of anyone, hard to address !

Well, there is that, lol. I actually meant at your next appointment. Something that just occurred to me is you could always write him a letter making him aware of the situation. Certified, return-recpt-requested so you know he gets it.

I only have to deal with my doc's nurse maybe once or twice a year. If I had to deal with her attitude more often I'd handle it with a letter addressed to the doc himself.

But then I don't like dealing with stuff like this on a face-to-face basis. I'm a wimp.

 

[Nytefyre]

I can get a call back from my gastro's nurse the same day. Even though the message says messages after 3:00 will be returned the next day, I have still had calls as late as 5:00 returned. But yeah, my last gastro was horrible and it took forever to get a return call from his office.

 

[effdee]

Usually within the next day, I'll get a call from his nurse with his message. If it's important and not too late in the day, they'll call in the evening. My doctor doesn't usually call himself but always does if I specifically ask him to.

 

[MADiMarc]

When my GI retired I had a very hard time finding a doc. He did recommend someone else that is a real big name in research. He treated me like a lab rat but did always call back that day. I have tried two different GI docs since I kicked him to the curb and left one due to lack of response time. Like most people with a chronic disease, I need to be half dead before I make the call. I know you like your doctor and if no serious situations have developed due to this witch nursey-nurse stick it out and talk to him when you see him. If something serious has happened I would do my best to find someone else. There are just so many avenues for us in Houston, thank goodness.:goodluck:

 

[DustyKat]

I have been very fortunate. I see the kids GP most days through my work so he always asks how they are going and if I need to talk to him I just ring and they put me straight through. With their GI if I ring and he is in his consulting rooms they put me through or if he is doing procedures they take a message and he rings back that day. If he has concerns about anything then he will ring me, like when Matt was in hospital.

Dusty.