Doctor asks, “Why did you come to the ER today?”
This question — emphasizing today is common practice in emergency departments — helps us figure out how urgent a patient’s illness might be. But it’s a loaded question. Rephrased, it could easily mean, “Do you really believe you are seriously ill, or is it just that you couldn’t wait to see a regular doctor?”
Behind the sanctimony is a clich: McDonald’s medicine. Spend time in a busy ER and you’ll hear a recurrent theme among the harried staff: patients in the U.S. want their health care like they want their food — served up speedily and made “your way.” According to the conventional wisdom among medical professionals, overcrowding in the ER is exacerbated by America’s culture of instant gratification.
