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Women’s Health: The Pressing Need to Think Holistically
Doctors working in the field of women’s health should be prepared to listen to all concerns presented by patients & take a holistic approach to their care.
Time constraints make it difficult for the average physician to think about their patients holistically. After all, they often see a different patient every 20 minutes.
Within this tight timeframe, the physician must consider and provide recommendations that account for the unique needs of the patient. That includes their health history and circumstances in their life that may impact their health.
On top of that, during each appointment, physicians are responsible not only for delivering high-quality care but also for fostering a relationship with each and every patient. This can be difficult given the heavy workloads most physicians already bear.
However, taking the time to form a relationship with each patient is absolutely critical to patients’ health and wellbeing. This is especially true for women, who face systemic and disproportionate barriers to accessing quality healthcare.
Medical training teaches us that every patient is different. However, we are not necessarily taught how to account for these differences. Nor do we learn how to…