I recently had an experience that helped me better understand why patients sometimes get frustrated with healthcare. While receiving treatment here in the U.S., I had to visit five different medical services, each with its own appointment schedule and timeline. At almost every visit, I had to explain my medical history, previous treatments, and procedures again. I also had to keep track of what happened at each appointment and what information I needed to share with the next provider. As someone who has worked in healthcare, I understood why doctors needed this information. But being on the patient side made me realize how tiring and frustrating the whole process can be.
As a healthcare provider, I know that every doctor needs to understand a patient’s condition, ask questions, perform examinations, and make their own clinical decisions. These steps are important for patient safety. But as a patient, I realized how much responsibility falls on us to keep track of everything. Because of my medical background, I usually knew what information to share and which previous procedures or results might be important. But what about patients who don’t have that background? How easy is it for them to remember everything, explain it clearly, and coordinate between different healthcare services?
This experience also reminded me of my work in Ethiopia. I worked at a large referral hospital where many specialized services were available in one place. That sometimes made it easier for healthcare providers to access patient charts and communicate with other departments. Here in the U.S., many of the services I visited were in separate offices. But even in Ethiopia, patients referred from other facilities often had to repeat their stories, undergo new assessments, and sometimes repeat tests. So this isn’t necessarily a problem with one country or healthcare system. It is a challenge that can happen wherever healthcare services need to work together.
Of course, not every repeated assessment or test is unnecessary. A patient’s condition can change, and doctors need to verify information before making decisions. But there is a difference between repeating something for medical reasons and repeating it because information wasn’t properly shared. Better communication between healthcare providers, clearer referral processes, and easier access to previous medical records could help reduce unnecessary work. The World Health Organization’s work on integrated, people-centred care emphasizes the importance of coordinating care around people’s needs. Similarly, HealthIT.gov explains how health information exchange can help healthcare providers securely share patient information.
This experience helped me understand patients’ frustrations in a way I hadn’t fully appreciated before. As a healthcare provider, I understood why certain steps were necessary. But as a patient, I experienced how difficult it can be to manage care across different services and schedules. It made me think that improving healthcare efficiency isn’t just about making each hospital or clinic work better. It’s also about making the whole process easier for patients, especially when they move between different providers. Better communication and coordination could make a real difference.
Have you ever felt like you had to start over when visiting a different healthcare provider? What do you think could make the process easier? Let me know in the comments.
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