As it relates to your health, the least important 15 minutes of the last six months of your life was probably the 15 minutes you spent with your doctor. The reason for this is just the opposite. It’s because your doctor believed that those 15 minutes were the most important to your future. I have to convince you to diet, stop smoking, check your blood sugar, exercise more, take your medications, and drink less all in only 15 minutes. The truth is we are one voice in a crowd of many, fighting to change the way you eat, what you drink, how you spend your time, and what to do with your money. The average American is bombarded with 500-1000 commercial messages a day, every day. I have a few minutes with you, maybe 4 times a year. Better eat my Wheaties.
As physicians, we need to buy more time. It starts by understanding that true life change occurs outside of the little amount of time we spend in an office together as doctor and patient. We have to creatively engage patients in the conversations surrounding of their health, outside of the exam room. I will make many life altering diagnoses in my office, but few if any life altering decisions will be made at the same time by my patients in regards to their chronic disease. These are the everyday decisions that affect our health: what groceries to buy, whether to drive by the gym or stop and go inside, whether to take the elevator or the stairs. We must get the message out and it must be both creative and relevant. 1000 ads a day is a lot. Another commercial just won’t do. We need to bring it.
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