Doctors Only Listen to You For Eleven Seconds

The next time you visit your doctor, make sure to keep things short and sweet. A new study found that doctors only give their patients eleven seconds before interrupting them.

The researchers looked over 112 recorded meetings between doctors and patients. They learned pretty quickly that doctors only spent an average of eleven seconds listening to a patient's reason for visiting before chiming in. The study only counted times when the doctor started the conversation with a statement like “What can I do for you today?” or “Tell me what brings you in today.”

Specialists were found to allow less time than primary care doctors. Eight out of ten patients were interrupted while on a specialty visit.

Appointments averaged out to be about thirty minutes long and were longer when patients were allowed to explain their reason.