Getting Sick in the Dr.'s Waiting Room?

I was talking to a friend yesterday who told me that her husband, after going to his Dr. for a routine visit, had acquired a world-class cold. We were discussing the fact that he sat for almost an hour in a 20 ft. sq. room, elbow to elbow with other patients who were sniffling, coughing and in various stages of distress. He is now under the weather. 

As I was commiserating with her regarding Manny, it occurred to me!!! Who came up with this approach to medicine? You go for a check-up, healthy. You then sit for a long while in a small room, elbow-to-elbow with VERY sick people. He (or she) calls you in, asks you how you are, and thumps, bumps, prods, and pokes. The outcome is: "feeling pretty good" and you leave. Within 48 hours, you are so sick that you know you will live, if only because you are too sick to die.

Who came up with this system? Seems kinda counterintuitive, at least to me.

Tom Schildhouse MPHS Jan 66
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My doctor's office has two sections. One for sick patients and one for well patients. Even though they're in the same room they are well separated from each other. We had the same situation with our pediatrician's office. Guess PA doctors are just less greedy.

Gaye in PA MPHS Alumni
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I love that solution. As Ron said, I don't go to the Dr. often, when I do have an issue he is good about phone consults. He says I am definitely not a hypochondriac. He never sees me for false alarms. So I do hate to go in and I am pretty resistant to most things.

I noticed a sign last time warning that all patients showing symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever, etc., must wear masks. I thought, wow, no I cannot even identify the person who infected me.

Tom Schildhouse
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gayemarcus@yahoo.com writes:

My doctor's office has two sections. One for sick patients and one for well patients. Even though they're in the same room they are well separated from each other. We had the same situation with our pediatricians office.

Guess PA doctors are just less greedy.

Gaye in PA
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My doctors' offices have masks and hand sanitizer all over the place, along with signs to mask up if you are sneezing or sniffling.

Taffy Cannon, June '66

Carlsbad, California
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Joan Pettavino wrote:

Tom, Tom, Tom - where have you been? It's all a part of the system.

Sharing is caring, you know, and if at least half of the people
sitting in the waiting room catch that which is being sneezed or
coughed all over the place, then more of you will be back, and the beat will go on. Now, if they really cared about their patients, perhaps they would be handing out fresh mask covers to everyone that came in to protect them from the airborne diseases being blown their way. Hmmmm, what a concept! Maybe you should put that in the "suggestion box" the next time you go to the doc's office. Oh wait, there isn't a suggestion box, is there. Sigh!

We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives! Maya Angelou
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From: Ron Veenstra

I fortunately dont have to go the the hospital or Dr. much. What is worrying me are the bacterial infections being caught in the hospital with no known cure.......

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