Samuel William David Merriel 1 , Christopher Salisbury 1 , Chris Metcalfe 1 , Matthew Ridd 1 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patient-doctor continuity is valued by both parties, yet the effect of the depth of the patient-doctor relationship on the content of consultations in general practice is unknown. AIM: To assess whether differences in the depth of relationship between a patient and their GP affects the length of consultations, and the number and type of problems and issues raised during a consultation. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in 22 GP practices in the UK. METHOD: GP consultations (n = 229) were videotaped and the number of problems and aspects of those problems and issues identified. Patients completed the Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship (PDDR) and General Practice Assessment Questionnaire-communication (GPAQc) scales. Associations were explored using multivariable linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Complete data were available on 190 participants consulting 30 GPs. In unadjusted analysis, patients with a deep relationship with their GP discussed more problems (mean 2.8) and issues (mean 4.7) compared with those with a moderate (2.4 problems; 4.0 issues) or shallow (2.3 problems; 3.8 issues) relationship. Patients with deep relationships had consultations that were on average 118 seconds (95% CI = 1 to 236) longer than those with shallow relationships. Adjustment for participant and GP factors attenuated these relationships, although the main trends persisted. CONCLUSION: A greater number of problems and issues may be raised in a consultation when patients have a deeper relationship with their GP. Over several clinical encounters each year, this may be associated with significant benefits to patients and efficiencies in GP consultations and warrants further investigation. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.
BACKGROUND: Patient-doctor continuity is valued by both parties, yet the effect of the depth of the patient-doctor relationship on the content of consultations in general practice is unknown. AIM: To assess whether differences in the depth of relationship between a patient and their GP affects the length of consultations, and the number and type of problems and issues raised during a consultation. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in 22 GP practices in the UK. METHOD: GP consultations (n = 229) were videotaped and the number of problems and aspects of those problems and issues identified. Patients completed the Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship (PDDR) and General Practice Assessment Questionnaire-communication (GPAQc) scales. Associations were explored using multivariable linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: Complete data were available on 190 participants consulting 30 GPs. In unadjusted analysis, patients with a deep relationship with their GP discussed more problems (mean 2.8) and issues (mean 4.7) compared with those with a moderate (2.4 problems; 4.0 issues) or shallow (2.3 problems; 3.8 issues) relationship. Patients with deep relationships had consultations that were on average 118 seconds (95% CI = 1 to 236) longer than those with shallow relationships. Adjustment for participant and GP factors attenuated these relationships, although the main trends persisted. CONCLUSION: A greater number of problems and issues may be raised in a consultation when patients have a deeper relationship with their GP. Over several clinical encounters each year, this may be associated with significant benefits to patients and efficiencies in GP consultations and warrants further investigation. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.
Entities: Chemical
Keywords:
consultation; continuity of care; doctor-patient relations; general practice
Mesh： See more »
Year: 2015
PMID： 26212851 PMCID： PMC4513743 DOI： 10.3399/bjgp15X686125
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Br J Gen Pract ISSN： 0960-1643 Impact factor: 5.386