Name: 歐美國家看診等待時間動輒數月甚至數年，為什麼看醫生需要等待這麼久？ (Why does it take so long to schedule a doctor appointment?)
Uploaded: 2024-09-21T21:01:30.000Z
Duration: 4 min 52 s

基礎數量詞

It seems these days, trying to get an appointment with a health care professional is becoming increasingly challenging, with many patients waiting days, weeks or even months to be seen.

如今，預約醫療保健專業人員似乎變得越來越具有挑戰性，許多病人要等上幾天、幾周甚至幾個月才能見到醫生。

情態助動詞 A2

I live in a big city. I can't get in for a month.

我住在一個大城市。我一個月都排進不去。

to 不定詞

Can I get an appointment maybe sometime this week to see the doctor?

我可以預約這個星期的某個時間去看醫生嗎？

They're like, no, sorry, we're booked two months in advance.

他們會說：「不，對不起，我們提前兩個月就被預訂了。」

The numbers show it's becoming a more common occurrence nationwide.

數據顯示，這種情況在全國越來越普遍。

One study found a third of patients say they've been unable to see a doctor in the past year due to availability issues.

一項研究發現，三分之一的患者表示，在過去一年中，他們曾因看病難而無法就醫。

And for those who were able to get an appointment, nearly one in five patients had to wait anywhere from one to three months to be seen.

而對於那些能夠得到預約的患者來說，將近五分之一的患者需要等待一到三個月才能就診。

When 26 year old Victoria Holmes faced a four month wait for a neurology appointment in Washington, D.C., where she lives, she sought treatment in her hometown of Dallas, Texas.

26 歲的維多利亞-霍姆斯（Victoria Holmes）在她居住的華盛頓特區等待神經科預約需要四個月的時間，於是她來到家鄉得克薩斯州達拉斯尋求治療。

I literally have to take the desperate measure of going home to Dallas just to see a neurologist because I'm terrified that there's something wrong with me.

我真的不得不鋌而走險，回達拉斯老家去看神經科醫生，因為我害怕自己出了什麼問題。

It's a major frustration for both patients and doctors.

We all became physicians to take care of patients, and that is getting tougher every day.

我們成為醫生的目的都是為了照顧病人，而這一點每天都在變得更加艱難。

Dr. Bruce Scott is the president of the American Medical Association and an ear, nose and throat physician in Louisville, Kentucky.

布魯斯-斯科特醫生是美國醫學協會主席，也是肯塔基州路易斯維爾市的一名耳鼻喉科醫生。

Right now, things are at almost crisis level and physicians are literally closing their practices.

現在，情況幾乎到了危機的程度，醫生們真的要關閉他們的診所了。

Medical professionals say it's the result of a growing population needing health care, along with an aging physician workforce that's burning out, due in part to time consuming administrative paperwork from insurance companies and reduced physician reimbursement.

醫學專家表示，這是由於需要醫療保健的人口不斷增加，同時醫生隊伍老齡化，部分原因是保險公司耗時的行政文書工作和醫生報帳額度的減少，導致醫生隊伍疲於奔命。

Some doctors are now turning to concierge services to reduce the number of patients they see, charging hundreds or even thousands of dollars for their care.

現在，一些醫生轉而採用 "管家式 "服務，以減少他們接診的病人數量，收取數百甚至數千美元的護理費。

Others are passing administrative fees onto patients, forcing many to find new doctors.

還有一些醫院將行政費用轉嫁給患者，迫使許多患者尋找新的醫生。

I think we're facing even a worsening problem in the future unless something changes.

我認為，除非有所改變，否則我們今後將面臨更加嚴重的問題。

Now, as for those doctors switching to concierge, the numbers are hard to nail down here.

至於那些轉行的醫生，具體數字很難確定。

But estimates are that it's in the thousands. It's still a small percentage of overall doctors practicing medicine, meaning there should be plenty of options out there for those not able to shell out that extra money for the kind of care that we once received without that extra cost.

但估計也有數千人。這在所有行醫的醫生中仍然只佔很小的比例，也就是說，對於那些沒有能力支付額外費用的人來說，他們應該有很多選擇，以獲得我們曾經在沒有額外費用的情況下獲得的醫療服務。

Let's bring NBC News medical contributor Dr. John Torres.

讓我們有請NBC新聞醫學特約撰稿人約翰-託雷斯博士。

So this explains a lot of stuff that there are fewer doctors.

這就解釋了為什麼醫生越來越少。

They're retiring earlier. The population is aging.

他們更早退休。人口正在老齡化。

So what is a person to do? I see those people who are desperate for doctors appointments.

那麼一個人該怎麼辦呢？我看到那些急於預約醫生的人。

So there's a couple of things. Number one, you have to realize what's happening here.

有幾件事，第一，你必須意識到這裡發生了什麼。

You know, a couple of things. One, it's not just a specialist, primary care doctors.

你知道，有幾件事。第一，不僅僅是專科醫生，還有初級保健醫生。

It's incredibly hard to get into them in a timely basis.

要想及時進入它們的內部，難度可想而知。

And so there's a few tips you can do here.

But essentially what I said, Morgan put the nail on the head here.

但從根本上說，摩根的話一針見血。

Essentially, it's a three tiered system now.

從本質上講，現在是一個三級系統。

It's those that can afford concierge medicine, going to urgent care, those types of things.

有能力負擔醫療服務的人，才會去看急診等。

Those with private insurance or government sponsored insurance.

有私人保險或政府資助保險的人。

And then those, unfortunately, just simply go without.

然後，不幸的是，那些人就這樣沒了。

And so it's important that when you go in there, you do the things you need to do to make it an efficient visit.

重要的是，當你去那裡時，你要做你需要做的事情，使它成為一個有效的訪問。

So what should some of those things be like? You finally do get in to see your doctor.

那麼，這些事情應該是什麼樣的呢？你終於可以去看醫生了。

How do you make the most out of that? So first and foremost, you want to have a list of what you want, what the questions you want answered and make sure on that list, there's two or three that you absolutely have to get answered before you leave because you might have a limited amount of time.

如何最大限度地利用這個機會？首先，你要列出一份清單，列明你想要什麼，想要回答什麼問題，並確保清單上有兩三個問題是你在離開前必須回答的，因為你的時間可能有限。

Use the nurse and the staff to get answers you might not get from the doctor.

通過護士和工作人員，你可以得到從醫生那裡得不到的答案。

Bring in test results. Print them out because the doctor might not have access.

帶上檢查結果。打印出來，因為醫生可能無法查閱。

The computer system could have gone down. It could be from a different system.

計算機系統可能癱瘓了。它可能來自不同的系統。

They don't have those answers. So that way you can get them answered.

他們沒有這些答案。這樣你就能得到答案。

And then don't leave the appointment without scheduling your next appointment, because often we say, you know, I'll do it later.

然後，不要在沒有安排下一次預約的情況下就離開預約，因為我們經常會說，你知道，我以後會做的。

And then you want an appointment in March. You wait until February.

然後你想在三月份預約。你一直等到二月。

And they say, we can't see you till October. How important is it to actually have a primary care doctor?

他們說，我們要到十月才能見你。有一個主治醫生到底有多重要？

I think a lot of people who are young, healthy, you just have an OB.

我認為，很多人都很年輕，身體健康，只需做個產科醫生就可以了。

You don't even have a primary. Is it important? It's extremely important to have a primary care physician.

你甚至沒有初選。這重要嗎？有一個主治醫生非常重要。

They are the gatekeepers of everything. And remember the old days where they would come to your house.

他們是一切的守門人。還記得以前，他們會到你家裡來。

They knew your family and everything. We're not at that system right now anymore.

他們瞭解你的家庭和一切。我們現在不再是那個系統了。

We might go to that, but you need them because they can say you need to see a specialist.

我們可能會去，但你需要他們，因為他們可以說你需要看專科醫生。

And on some cases, they can do it. They don't necessarily need to send you to somebody.

在某些情況下，他們可以這樣做。他們不一定要把你送到某個人那裡。

I think your point is important because you're often rushed in those visits because they're stacking up more patients because there are fewer doctors around.

我認為你的觀點很重要，因為你在就診時往往會很匆忙，因為周圍的醫生人數較少，所以病人會越來越多。

So you really have to be on the ball. Exactly.

所以，你真的必須要有耐心。- 沒錯。

And like I said, just write those questions down, be your own advocate, and make sure you get the two to three most important ones answered.

就像我說的，把這些問題寫下來，做自己的代言人，並確保回答兩到三個最重要的問題。

Take a list of your medications, too, and all the dosing.

也帶上你的藥物清單和所有劑量。

So just in case they don't know that or you're going to see somebody else, you get those questions answered.

所以，萬一他們不知道，或者你要去看別人，你就可以得到這些問題的答案。

Can you get into a neurologist? Like those are desperate measures.

你能去看神經科醫生嗎？好像這些都是無奈之舉。

There's a lot of patients that can't get in to see the doctors they need to.

有很多病人無法去看他們需要的醫生。

And this is a system that unfortunately is continuing to get worse and worse.

不幸的是，這個系統正變得越來越糟。

And hopefully we find a solution here soon.

希望我們能儘快找到解決方案。

All right. Thank you, Dr. Torres. - Thank you.

好的謝謝你，託雷斯博士。- 謝謝你。