By Staff
Waiting rooms need better reading material, period. I have experienced time and time again that have proven this fact beyond any doubt.
Last week, my husband was scheduled for a procedure to help with a back problem he has been having. The procedure was done in an outpatient surgical center in Pensacola, Fla., and was expected to take about an hour to complete. That hour turned into more than four as we waited to be taken in, have the procedure performed and proper monitoring following the procedure.
When the trip was planned, I decided I'd just pick up whatever was lying around in the waiting area to read while I waited the hour for him to be finished with his visit. I didn't take a book or magazine of my own to read during my wait. Big mistake.
There were a few magazines lying around on the tables in the big waiting room. Let me tell you, though, it wasn't really good reading. One magazine was the February 2006 issue. I got really excited when I saw one of the magazines was a September issue until I realized it was from 2005.
Now, I realize offices don't have an obligation to provide up-to-date, interesting reading material for those who have to wait on loved ones.
However, you'd think with all of the money they get paid through co-pays, insurance funds and private payments, they could at least subscribe to a couple of magazines for the lobby.
I'm not sure who Libby Wagner is, but I thanked her last week. She was responsible for either dropping off the magazines or forgetting to take them with her when she left the waiting area.
There are some doctor's offices where you'll find up-to-date reading material.
However, I've found that majority of the people I've come in contact with at the doctors' offices I've been to don't really care that much for the latest issues of “American Yachting” or “Condo Living” magazines.
This really got me to thinking about my duty in all of this. The next time I head to a doctor's office or a waiting room of any kind, I plan to carry along a few magazines. I certainly don't have as much time as I'd like to read them at home and when one hour turns into four, I could catch up on a lot of reading. And, to be considerate of others who may come to those uncomfortably hard chairs in the waiting rooms around our area, I plan to conveniently forget them when I go.
Lisa Tindell is news editor of The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 867-4876 or by e-mail at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.