Wait times are a reality in a publicly funded Health Care System such as Canada’s. They create stress for patients in having to wait while suffering from a variety of ailments that range from moderate to completely debilitating.

While wait times are frustrating, by and large, there isn’t much that can be done. Chances are, if you phone the hospital every day attempting to get your MRI moved up (a procedure notorious for long wait times in certain parts of the province) all you’ll succeed in doing is annoying the health care staff who have little control over your appointment anyway.

What you should do while facing wait times is follow your doctors advice. If your doctor has told you that staying off your leg is likely to improve your symptoms but is sending you for an MRI to be sure what those symptoms really are, stay off your leg. By following doctors advice, many patients may find that they aren’t really in need of the procedure they’ve asked for or which their doctor has ordered to be excessively careful. If these people are then removed from the wait time, they become shorter for everyone.

This isn’t to say that everyone’s symptoms, or even the majority of peoples, will subside with no medical intervention but doctors admit to ordering consistently more procedures than are needed because patients ask for them by name or are persistent with pressure that they need the testing.

While waiting for a procedure you should follow doctors advice, and find out from the staff at your family doctors office whether a cancellation list for your procedure or specialist exists if you are consistently free during the operating hours. If not, wait. Most wait times are reasonable and will not cause further harm to you. If they were going to, your doctor would have ensured you received the procedure as fast as possible.