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How much time do you spend with a typical patient? It’s probably less than you’d like. The statistics tell the story; 56% of doctors spend 16 minutes or less with patients (6% spend less than 9 minutes; 21% spend 9-12 minutes; and 29% spend 13-16 minutes) according to a Medscape Physician Compensation report.
That’s a relatively short time to connect with a patient, listen to your patient’s presenting issues, make a diagnosis, and suggest a treatment plan. That time stricture is one of the reasons that the art of “bedside medicine” is more important than ever.
About Medscape Insights
Medscape continually surveys physicians and other medical professionals about key practice challenges and current issues, creating high-impact analyses. For example, the Medscape Family Physician Compensation Report 2025 found that:
- Family physician reported seeing an average of 80 patients per week.
- 54% said they don’t feel fairly compensated.
- They reported their average bonus was $29,000.
Why Bedside Care Matters, Especially Today
The term “bedside” is a misnomer. “Bedside medicine can refer to any kind of care –– it could be the hospital, the clinic, telemedicine, a home visit, any place where care is happening,” said Brian T. Garibaldi, MD, MEHP, director, Center for Bedside Medicine , and a professor of medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago. “I think that bedside medicine is really important right now because of all the tools with AI [artificial intelligence] and LLM [large language models]. When given the right information, they can compete with the average physician in terms of diagnosis so the inputs to these systems become critical.”
It's through the bedside encounter that you gather that information, and yet medical students, residents, and new doctors may lack training in these skills. Individual medical programs differ in terms of how much education and practice medical students and residents receive in bedside medicine, said Rebecca Andrews, MD , professor of medicine and internal medicine and a primary care physician at UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut.
UConn has the oldest clinical skills assessment program in the country, using trained professional patients who score medical students and residents on how well they did with bedside encounters. “Did they get the history? Was the pacing too quick? Did they use too many medical terms?” explained Andrews. “There are so many skills that if you don’t practice, it’s really hard to be good at right out of the gate.”
“Physical skills definitely matter,” said Garibaldi. “Good technique makes you more likely to identify the correct physical findings and formulate the correct diagnosis.”
But bedside medicine is about more than skills; it’s about communication and connection. “Twenty-first century physicians do a really good job of learning about medicine but fall short about learning about human understanding,” said Stephen W. Russell, MD , professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-president of the Society of Bedside Medicine. “The bedside is important because it brings doctors, patients, and learners into one space at one time.”
Start With Observation
With limited time to see patients, there’s a natural desire for doctors to launch immediately into the patient encounter. Instead, slow down and simply take in information. “Go to the bedside and observe,” said Russell. “We can learn a lot by observing, not just from a diagnostic standpoint.”
“Observation is so fundamental to understanding manifestations of disease,” agreed Garibaldi. “How they walk, how they talk, how they dress are really powerful in establishing what may be going on and how that impacts a person…there’s so much you can glean from the foot of the bed or telemedicine screen.”
Listen to More Than Symptoms
Your conversation with your patient is another valuable source of information — especially when you listen for more than symptoms. “In medicine, we’re trained to be thinking of diagnoses as patients are giving answers,” said Andrews. “But sometimes you get so busy thinking about the answers to the question or what the phrasing means or the diagnosis, we don’t stop and take a break and listen to the entirety of the picture,” Andrews added. “Sometimes the most important part of a visit is sitting and listening.” Active, engaged listening helps build trust between physician and patient and reduces the power differential in the doctor/patient relationship.
“I do everything I can to see things from their perspective and their life,” said Andrews. “One of the biggest ways to earn trust is to say, ‘I don’t know the answer — we can look that up together.’ It’s better to wait and provide a more accurate answer than providing an answer that’s incomplete or acting like there is a definite answer when there is not.”
Perform a Physical Exam
Being “hands-on,” literally is one of the simplest ways to be a better bedside doctor. “Despite technology, sometimes the diagnosis can only be made through a physical exam,” said Garibaldi. “The most common mistake is that the physical exam was not performed. If you don’t do a physical exam, you’re likely to make mistakes [in medicine].” For example, when asked to perform their best cardiac exam, 10% of physicians listen through the gown and 30% fail to percuss the chest during a pulmonary exam.
While you needn’t do a full head-to-toe exam for every patient or every medical issue, consider your hypothesis based on the patient’s story and perform an exam or maneuver to help you move the diagnostic needle.
A well-done physical exam also creates a connection with your patient. “I tend to do a physical with almost every patient,” said Andrews. “It settles my medical brain into the right mindset for treatment. As I’m feeling for the pulse on their right hand as I get the blood pressure cuff ready, I find it settles the patient, too.”
Use Telehealth to Enhance Your Connection
Telehealth appointments can offer additional challenges — and opportunities — for doctors.
Ensure that the patient feels comfortable and safe in the environment, and that they have the same privacy they would have in the doctor’s office. Note the patient’s environment and look for items that may provide a connection with a patient you wouldn’t have before. Garibaldi connected with one patient over the fact he played the banjo — something that had never come up before.
Use the fact that the patient is home to your treatment advantage. For example, when Andrews is counseling a patient about weight loss via a telehealth appointment, she can ask him to show her his typical portion sizes and the foods he has in the house.
Recognize Technology’s Limitations
While bedside medicine often includes and embraces technology, it’s no substitute for the care you provide. Take point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), a commonly used diagnostic tool. “Everybody [doctors] are so enthusiastic about ultrasounds (POCUS) but to be good at ultrasound you have to go in, establish rapport with the patient, and undrape the part of the body you’re going to ultrasound,” said Garibaldi. While technology enhances the exam, performing it — and making your patient feel comfortable — require the human touch. Literally.
Get Comfortable Feeling Uncomfortable
Finally, accept the idea that improving your bedside skills takes effort and practice. “It’s an uncomfortable position for people who are not accustomed to being at the bedside,” said Russell. “There is this discomfort of not knowing the information or not knowing what to expect…even after 20 years, I am still learning from the bedside.”
A willingness to feel uncertain, and to be curious, is key, said Garibaldi. “A physical exam done well can have a placebo aftereffect. It builds trust, and studies show that time with patients is meaningful for patients but also meaningful for providers.”
And building trust with your bedside manner is more important than just going through the motions or ticking off diagnostic boxes.
Kelly K. James is a freelancer, content manager, and author of The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: How I (Barely) Survived a Year in Corporate America. She covers health/wellness, business/career, and psychology topics from her home in the Chicago suburbs.
