Don: So yesterday I had an appointment for this pain I've been having in my elbow, and      the doctor was really friendly.

Yael: That's great! I hate when doctors are aloof.

D: Yeah, but this guy was a little too friendly. I start to tell him about my elbow but then      he starts telling me about how he hurt his elbow playing tennis last month when he      and his wife were on a cruise with their friends. And he went on and on about it and      I'm thinking, "that's nice, but what about my problem?"

Y: I guess he was just trying to put you at ease. You know, break the ice.

D: Probably, but guess what? By the time the guy finished recounting his fabulous trip he      barely had time to look at my elbow. I never even got to tell him how I'd hurt it or      what I thought.

Y: Wow. That's not good.

D: No. And it's all too common. Researchers at the University of Rochester did a study      of over one-hundred recorded conversations between doctors and actors posing as      patients. About one-third of the doctors talked about themselves in a way that had      nothing to do with the patient. And about twenty percent of the time, the      conversation never got back to the patient's problem.

Y: So what can you do if your doctor starts yakking about his vacation or something?

D: The researchers recommend going into the appointment with an agenda of maybe      two or three things that you want to talk about. And if the doc goes off on a tangent,      gently remind him or her about why you came in the first place.  

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