Talk to Me, Doc
By Anonymous Sunday, August 10, 2008, 07:39 PM EDT
On average, Americans get 15 or so minutes of face time with their doctor per office visit. That may not seem like much time, and there's long been this general notion that medical care would be better if doctors didn't (or didn't need to) see so many patients in a day.
The notion, though, may not be true.
An updated review of five studies in the United Kingdom, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that when doctors increased the length of their consultations with patients, not much actually happened or changed.
"With more time," wrote researchers Andrew Wilson of the University of Leicester and Susan Childs of the University of Northumbria, "doctors did not prescribe more drugs, did not run more tests, did not make more referrals and did not do more examinations, except perhaps checking blood pressure more often."
Patients were not more satisfied with their care with longer consultations, nor did the additional time change whether they came back for another appointment about the same medical problem, the researchers said.
The only effect, according to Wilson and Childs, was that doctors spent more time discussing how patients could take better control of their health.
And maybe the doctor showed off pictures of his or her new boat.
The notion, though, may not be true.
An updated review of five studies in the United Kingdom, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that when doctors increased the length of their consultations with patients, not much actually happened or changed.
"With more time," wrote researchers Andrew Wilson of the University of Leicester and Susan Childs of the University of Northumbria, "doctors did not prescribe more drugs, did not run more tests, did not make more referrals and did not do more examinations, except perhaps checking blood pressure more often."
Patients were not more satisfied with their care with longer consultations, nor did the additional time change whether they came back for another appointment about the same medical problem, the researchers said.
The only effect, according to Wilson and Childs, was that doctors spent more time discussing how patients could take better control of their health.
And maybe the doctor showed off pictures of his or her new boat.
