“As doctors, we expect some patients will withhold information in the exam room. There is a lot of emotion around personal health,” said Oliver Kharraz, MD, founder and president of ZocDoc. “But I think many doctors would be surprised to hear they’re getting half-stories often because they haven’t left enough time to ask.”
The survey was conducted in May and again in September and includes responses from more than 3,000 American adults ages 18 and over.
Highlighted below are five findings from the survey.
1. Embarrassment or fear of being judged has stopped approximately 46 percent of Americans from telling their physician about a health issue.
2. Roughly 27 percent of respondents said they withheld details because they couldn’t find the right opportunity or didn’t have enough time during the appointment to talk to their physician, and 32 percent said they withheld details because their physician didn’t ask any questions or specifically if anything was bothering them.
3. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of the women surveyed admitted to telling a white lie or omitting information to their physician compared to more forthcoming males, only 23 percent of whom said they lied or left out details about their well-being
4. The patient-physician relationship improves with age. The share of people who visit their physicians when they are not feeling will increases from 39 percent among 35- to 44-year-olds, to 45 percent among 45- to 64-year-olds, to 58 percent among those 65 and older.
5. Still, white lies persist at every age, but for different reasons. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans 65 and older who were surveyed said they avoided bringing up an issue with their physician, but they did so because they didn’t think it was serious enough to discussing, compared to 49 percent of 18- to 64-year-olds.
More articles on integration and physician issues:
How one physician’s home visits reveal a glimpse of healthcare in the future
Mount Sinai, CHOP create pediatric alliance
Kaiser makes Oregon physician ratings public
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