My doctors have generally talked to me in the exam room. But I’ve had two or three who’ve done the exam and then discussed the results with me in their office.
So based on my experience, it’s not common but it does happen.
Every doctor I’ve been to except for my family practitioner has spoken to me in his or her office. Gynecologist, surgeons, opthamologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist etc But- my family practitioner has at least five or six exam rooms while the others have only one or two. I suspect they talk to me in the office to free up the exam room for the next patient.
When I worked for a doctor, he’d talk to the patient in his office, not the exam room. That was over 40 years ago.
Now my main doctor talks with me in the exam room, but I haven’t had any serious health problems. However, for a colonoscopy, the doctor goes over things in his office (which does have an area to the side for exams). When I had my hep-C scare (a series of false positives), I met with the doctor in his office before the third blood test, though he gave me the results over the phone.
The first time I went to my current gynecologist, after the exam, she took me into her office and we discussed my reproductive health, etc. It was kind of nice and respectful. I liked it.
But if I am just going for something routine, I don’t go in the office.
Several doctors I have had would indeed talk to you in their office but these days it is much more common to do everything in he Examination room. I suspect the doctors TV writers go to use offices more often than the average person. It’s the same reason every TV show has a plot about getting into the “Perfect Preschool” because that’s a thing well off people in Southern California deal with.
When I had my heart surgery, all the meetings with my cardiologist were in the exam room. Before the surgery, I met with the surgeon at the time of the heart catheterization, in the hospital room. I never saw either of them behind a desk.
My GP has the one multi-function room, but every specialist I’ve been to has the two-room situation - ObGyn, urologist, pulmonologist, paed, etc.
I think pretty much all of the doctors I’ve seen as an adult have been in a hospital context. I don’t think they even HAD offices. We just talk in the exam room.
In the early 80’s my gyno had an office setup like that. I’ve been going to HMO clinics for the past 30 years though, where they don’t exist.
My urologist and gastroenterologist usually talk with me in their comfy office after the exam. Never been anything serious or life-threatening.
And pretty much every doctor I’ve ever been to has an office and at least two exam rooms. This is so that while the doctor is examining one patient, a nurse will be taking the weight, blood pressure, and blood samples from the next patient (or, in the case of dentists, a hygienist will be cleaning their teeth).
The family doctor I used to take my parents to was one of two in a shared office. The senior of the two doctors was my parent’s physician, and he did have a somewhat nice office. It wasn’t fancy, but it did have a real wooden desk and a comfortable chair, and shelves, a window, a plant etc. He would usually talk to them after the exam in that room.
I myself now am a patient of the junior doctor of the pair. The senior retired many years ago, and the practice now has four general practitioners all working as one practice. My current doctor does have an office, but it’s a small room with a metal desk, computer, metal filing cabinet, an uncomfortable/cheap guest chair and it’s in the interior of the building–doesn’t even have a window.
With the four physicians in that building now I don’t believe the “nice” office my parent’s doctor had even exists anymore, and the more utilitarian/small office is all the docs get. I don’t know them all personally, but I know my doctor at least makes a good living. Surely the practice could afford big nice offices and probably even a nicer/bigger building entirely. But, these guys (and 1 gal) make money off of seeing patients, I think their time in their office is minimal, and the less money spent on frills the more money they take home. So I can see where prudent business sense leads to a situation like this, even for professionals earning good money.
Lawyers often seem to feel spending more on presentation in terms of fancy office is important, from what I’ve seen.
My (UK) GP has a combined office/exam room, but now I come to think of it, the dermatologists I saw last year did have separate offices. I don’t think the neurology consultant I saw a few years back had a separate one though, just an examination table in the office.
Maybe for the NHS it varies either by hospital or by department.
Australia. Always in the one room unless it was a procedure that was a little different. However, even minor procedures sch as a skin cancer being cut out have always been in the office/ consulting room (that is, the same room).
No.
It certainly did used to be more common, but not so much anymore. My current doctors office is a tiny workroom about half the size of one of his exam rooms and the desk/computer/file cabinets/etc. are all pretty bare bones.
When I ad my first job, I had an office with big desk and bookcases, with an exam room (table, blood pressure cuff, ice cold temperatures, no window). I always talked to patients in the office before and after the exam. The problem was that I had plants on on the desk and patients always wanted cutting, or just helped themselves…
Since then (10 years ago) I’ve always been in a clinic situation. No comfort there.
When I was growing up 60-70 years ago, our GP practiced out of his home (common practice in those days) and had three examination rooms, one of which had a desk and I guess doubled as his office, but unless you were examined there, you didn’t go to it. His nurse would keep the examination rooms filled.
My next doctor worked in a hospital setting and, IIRC, did not have a private office. When I moved to Montreal 47 years ago, my first GP did have separate examining room and office. And so does my current GP who practices alone. When you see him, you first meet in his office, then go to the examination room, then back to the office. There is another small examination room if all you need is a blood pressure test or blood test, but then you never see his office. My cardiologist works the same way: office, then examination, then back to the office for discussion. On the other hand, I have used several ophthalmologists and have never seen their private office. In fact, in one case, I doubt he had one since there was a desk in his exam room.