Ten tips for becoming a Time Lord

Abstract

Background There is evidence that extended waiting is the most important cause of patient dissatisfaction with a visit to their general practice. While waiting is sometimes unavoidable in primary care, sometimes its causes are systemic and modifiable. Our experience is that some doctors rarely run late and yet seem to meet their patients’ needs. We call these colleagues ‘Time Lords’. Objectives The aim of this article is to revise and share tips to help others become Time Lords. Discussion We describe four tips that depend on good preparation. A further six involve maximising the value of consulting time. Waiting is sometimes unavoidable in general practice. Our patients accept this and so must we. However, we can do much to improve our patients’ satisfaction by taking waiting as seriously as they do and minimising it.