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Taiwan doctor's speed diagnosis earns rebuke

May, 27 2010

Taiwan doctor's speed diagnosis earns rebuke

A Taiwanese doctor has been told to spend a little longer on his patients after an investigation showed he needed just 84 seconds on average to reach a diagnosis.
The unidentified orthopaedist diagnosed 61,366 patients last year, according to an investigation by the Control Yuan, a watchdog which monitors the other branches of government.
He diagnosed up to 339 outpatients a day, for an average of 84 seconds, the investigation showed, triggering a request to the health ministry to make sure he spends more time on his patients in the future.
Local media identified him as Wu Ming-feng of the private Minsheng hospital in south Taiwan's Kaohsiung city, with TV stations showing footage of him defending his work style.
"If the government wants to restrict the daily number of patients, it's OK with me. I don't even want to have so many patients. I just thought it would be unfair not to see them," Wu said on the CTI television channel.

According to AFP http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j15j7x3mYHWqVA2u-CIWoWti8Hgw