Despite the modern trend towards empowering patients & giving them more choice the nuts & bolts of medical practice largely remain a mystery
- a closed box In fact the more health information is available on the internet the more patients can feel swamped & confused The Appointment offers an intimate & honest account of how a typical GP tries to make sense of a patient's health problems & manage them within the constraints of their health system & the short ten minute appointment We have always been fascinated by our own health but in recent years especially for older people seeing the GP has become a regular activity In the past decade the average number of times a patient visits his or her GP has almost doubled Despite this increasing demand getting to see a GP is not always easy so those intimate ten minutes with the doctor are extremely precious & there's more than ever to cram in Taking the reader through a typical morning surgery The Appointment shines a light onto what is really going on in those central ten minutes & lets the reader for the first time get inside the mind of the person sitting in front of them
- the professional they rely on to look after their health Experienced GP Dr Graham Easton shows how GPs really think lays bare their professional strengths & weaknesses & exposes what really influences their decisions about their patients' health