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Most face-to-face visits are now about 15 minutes—and down to only 8 minutes in some parts of the country,
醫學博士安德魯·莫里斯-辛格是一家致力于改善初級護理的非營利組織“初級護理進步”的主席，
says Andrew Morris-Singer, MD, president of Primary Care Progress, a nonprofit working to improve primary care.
他說現在大多數面對面的接診大約需要15分鐘，在一些地區甚至縮短到8分鐘，
“Physicians are literally running from room to room,” he says.
他說，“醫生們真的是從一個病房跑到另一個病房。”
“We have physicians tell us that they are constantly constipated because they can’t even stop to go to the bathroom.”
“有些醫生告訴我們，他們經常便秘，因為他們甚至都沒時間去上廁所。”
What’s more, insurance companies have cut doctors’ payments, forcing them to see more patients or invest in lucrative sidelines
更重要的是，保險公司削減了醫生的報酬，迫使他們看更多的病人或投資有利可圖的副業
(such as selling supplements, medical devices, or imaging services) to keep their practices in the black.
（比如銷售補品，醫療器械，或者影像服務）來讓他們的業務保持盈利。
These changes have “driven a huge wedge” into the patient-physician relationship, Dr. Morris-Singer says. This is not a minor concern.
莫里斯-辛格博士說，這些變化“嚴重損害”了醫患關系。這不是一個小問題。
Research shows that without trust a patient might not feel comfortable sharing information his or her physician needs to provide quality medical advice.
研究表明，如果沒有信任，患者可能不愿意分享他或她的醫生提供優質醫療建議所需的信息。
Patients who trust their health-care providers are more likely to follow their treatment plans,
信任醫療服務提供者的患者更有可能遵循他們的治療計劃，
have fewer symptoms, practice healthier behaviors, and be more satisfied with their care.
癥狀更少，行為更健康，對治療更滿意。
In addition, a doctor who knows you and your health history is less likely to overprescribe or send you for unnecessary tests.
此外，了解你和你的健康史的醫生不太可能開藥過量或讓你做不必要的檢查。
Finally, I believe a doctor is more likely to make an extra effort for you if you have a relationship.
最后，我認為，如果你們有關系的話，醫生更有可能為你做出額外的努力。
It’s just human nature. Building that relationship takes time and care, and sometimes that’s still not enough.
這就是人類的天性。建立關系需要時間和關心，但是有時候這還不夠。
Pete had been seeing his primary care doctor for almost a decade when he called about his light-headedness,
皮特去看他的初級護理醫師已經將近十年了，當他打電話說他頭暈的時候，
yet he still had to wait three weeks for an appointment.
他還是得等上三個星期才能預約。
Once he got in, she listened carefully as he described his symptoms, but she was out the door 15 minutes later.
進去后，她就仔細聽他描述自己的癥狀，但15分鐘后她就出門了。
Would more time have yielded a more accurate diagnosis or an earlier MRI? It’s hard to know.
多花些時間就能做出更準確的診斷，或者更早做核磁共振？這很難說。
Maybe we can do more as patients.
也許作為病人我們可以做得更多。
