Finally, it's your big chance. You've got the ball and the "24-second clock" is ticking away. So much is riding on these 24 seconds. In many ways, the quality of your future will be determined. Can you do it?
No, I'm not talking about the final seconds of the NBA championships. What I'm referring to is a typical visit with a medical provider. According to a recent study,1 patients have less than 24 seconds to communicate their health concerns before the medical doctor interrupts them to narrow down the problem!
It gets worse:
Why do MDs only let their patients speak for 24 seconds before they interrupt? Are they just rude by nature? Is it to save time and get to the next patient? Do the MDs just figure the patients don't have the sense to describe their chief complaints?
I don't think so. When MDs look at patients and hear their complaints, they have a tendency to focus just on the complaints.
Once MDs focus in on specific complaints, the likelihood that they'll then listen to a complete list of patient concerns was only eight percent.
So when Ms. Jones, who has been the doctor's patient for 18 years, comes in and tells her MD that she has a leg pain, she becomes Ms. Legpain. Forget about what's attached to the leg, let's examine the leg. Might there be other relevant complaints? No time for extraneous matters. The transformation is complete. Ms. Jones is Ms. Legpain, at least until she returns with arm pain and becomes Ms. Armpain.
This is the difference philosophy makes. It changes how you look at a patient. As a chiropractor, you don't just see a leg, an arm, a stomach or a spine. You see a person. You aren't trying to treat the disease. Your goal is to restore health and vitality.
You know that a low-back problem could be caused by a host of lower extremity conditions, and relief for a pain in the arm could come with a spinal adjustment.
You also know that you can learn a great deal and gain insight by listening carefully and completely to your patients. That is why in every study I've ever seen, doctors of chiropractic have consistently received the highest scores in patient communication.
The good news is that the medical profession is learning. In the last 15 years, they have added an average of almost six seconds in listening to their patients. At this rate, 15 years from now, medical patients can look forward to a half minute of uninterrupted explanation.
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
