New Doctor Harder To Find Than New Significant Other For 29 Percent Of Americans: Survey

What's harder to find: the right significant other, or the right doctor?

According to a new survey, 29 percent of Americans think it's easier to find a new romantic interest than a new medical provider.

The findings are based on survey responses 2,319 U.S. adults that were collected between Sept. 21 and 25 this year. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive, on behalf of the doctor review website Vitals.

The survey showed that not everyone was smitten with their doctors -- 21 percent said that their doctor was their "one and only," while 31 percent said that they thought their relationship with their doctor was just "good enough."

The survey also revealed that preference for a female doctor is stronger among younger adults than older adults, with 44 percent of people older than age 55 saying they would prefer a female doctor, compared with more than half of people between ages 18 and 34. The trend is even stronger for women in the 18-to-34 age range -- 71 percent of them said they would prefer a female doctor.

Time spent with the patient was also highly important with the survey respondents, with 71 percent of them saying they would rather have a doctor spend more time with him or her during a visit and have less technology, than for the doctor to spend less time during the visit but have the best, latest technology. Similarly, 78 percent of the respondents said they prefer a doctor at a smaller practice than a bigger practice, and 71 percent said it's more important that they connect with their doctor personally, than to have a doctor with top credentials.

What do you think? Is it harder to find the perfect doctor, or the perfect man/woman? Take the poll: