When I mention the word WAIT most people envision the driver's license branch or the Doctor's office.
Either option sends a shudder down my spine as I contemplate the quantity of time they have cost me in my lifetime.
If you have kids that cost increases exponentially.
Time spent on vaccines, routine visits and sick visits could add several years to my life.
Let's face it; we have equated WAIT to WASTE in our society.
Even that famed philosopher Dr.
Seuss in his popular book Oh, the Places You'll Go dedicates a two page spread to the dreaded "Waiting Place" ..
..
for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go Or a bus to come, or the rain to go Or the mail to come, or the rain to go Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow Or waiting around for a Yes or No Or waiting for their hair to grow (more familiar with age) Everyone is just waiting We make jokes about the wait at the physician's office because if we didn't we'd cry! The anecdotes, cartoons and quips also help us to deal with something that we view as inevitable and unchangeable.
There are no quick fixes for a physician who is called away to an emergency or late from hospital rounds or who spent a little extra time with Aunt Edna listening to stories of gout and intestinal challenges.
What can be changed, however is equating WAIT with WASTE.
Several companies in the UK, Canada and the US are now offering patient's pagers for the medical waiting room environment to improve patient and provider satisfaction.
One company is even utilizing the latest trend in medical devices by capitalizing on the flexibility of Apple's iOS platform to page patients through an iPod or iPhone.
It makes sense in this environment much more than restaurants where we have grown accustomed to their use.
Vanderbilt Healthcare in Nashville Tennessee has been using pagers for three years at one of their most progressive clinics.
This small leap forward in patient care means that the mother of a healthy child no longer has to expose him to a waiting room full of germs.
The psychiatry patient no longer has to be concerned that someone from her church will recognize her last name (one of the key HIPAA identifier's ).
It means that physicians' can now utilize their waiting room space in a more productive manner or add another patient room not to mention the impact on staff and patient satisfaction.
The idea seems so simple, yet along with the rest of medical technology has been a long time a' coming.
As a father of two under five, the waiting place just improved quite a bit! For now, I've got to run..
..
waiting for the snow to snow!
Either option sends a shudder down my spine as I contemplate the quantity of time they have cost me in my lifetime.
If you have kids that cost increases exponentially.
Time spent on vaccines, routine visits and sick visits could add several years to my life.
Let's face it; we have equated WAIT to WASTE in our society.
Even that famed philosopher Dr.
Seuss in his popular book Oh, the Places You'll Go dedicates a two page spread to the dreaded "Waiting Place" ..
..
for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go Or a bus to come, or the rain to go Or the mail to come, or the rain to go Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow Or waiting around for a Yes or No Or waiting for their hair to grow (more familiar with age) Everyone is just waiting We make jokes about the wait at the physician's office because if we didn't we'd cry! The anecdotes, cartoons and quips also help us to deal with something that we view as inevitable and unchangeable.
There are no quick fixes for a physician who is called away to an emergency or late from hospital rounds or who spent a little extra time with Aunt Edna listening to stories of gout and intestinal challenges.
What can be changed, however is equating WAIT with WASTE.
Several companies in the UK, Canada and the US are now offering patient's pagers for the medical waiting room environment to improve patient and provider satisfaction.
One company is even utilizing the latest trend in medical devices by capitalizing on the flexibility of Apple's iOS platform to page patients through an iPod or iPhone.
It makes sense in this environment much more than restaurants where we have grown accustomed to their use.
Vanderbilt Healthcare in Nashville Tennessee has been using pagers for three years at one of their most progressive clinics.
This small leap forward in patient care means that the mother of a healthy child no longer has to expose him to a waiting room full of germs.
The psychiatry patient no longer has to be concerned that someone from her church will recognize her last name (one of the key HIPAA identifier's ).
It means that physicians' can now utilize their waiting room space in a more productive manner or add another patient room not to mention the impact on staff and patient satisfaction.
The idea seems so simple, yet along with the rest of medical technology has been a long time a' coming.
As a father of two under five, the waiting place just improved quite a bit! For now, I've got to run..
..
waiting for the snow to snow!