Too many hospital visits? One-stop medical care should be the norm

There is a good chance you have made repeated medical clinic visits for the same reason at some point in your life. It typically starts with a consultation, followed by some tests. It’s not unusual for the results to be ready days later, mandating another visit. You then dutifully visit to discuss results, which opens up the opportunity for another visit to have some intervention done. Is it all procrastination, or warranted delays?

One-stop healthcare services should be the norm. The ideal is a single visit, where everything gets done. Test results are available immediately, and treatment decisions are made before you leave. Minor procedures get done on the same day. There are no subsequent visits in the immediate term, only long-term follow-up. One-stop healthcare services improve efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction.

Many medical conditions are amenable to one-stop care. What is required is skill, the right equipment and commitment to render services as efficiently as possible. Consider a typical scenario. You come in to consult with some abdominal pains. Some imaging becomes necessary but has to be booked in the radiology department at the next available slot. The slots tend not to favour your availability, but that of the service providers. Days later, your imaging results are available, but you have to secure another appointment with your doctor.

Could you have had your imaging done the same day? And was it possible you could have gone away the first time with all treatment decisions made? Definitely yes. And that’s what you must always expect, and demand. A lot of time is wasted shuffling between hospitals and clinic corridors and making repeat visits. It’s in your interest to limit the amount of time you spend pursuing a single set of symptoms, which can be addressed in a single visit.

Do your homework and consult where efficiency is a matter of routine. You want quick decisions, but no cutting corners. Waiting for several days to have a decision-enhancing test done is hardly acceptable. So is having to come back for an extra appointment just to discuss the results and make final decisions. Attempts must be made to get stuff done timely, and treatment decisions made promptly.

Keep a critical eye on the number of visits you make to hospitals and clinics. If the visits add up to more than one or two for the same ailment, that may be too many. Find out why, the reasons better be good enough to justify your continued custom.

Dr Murage is a Consultant Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist.