Features of good consultation in general practice: Is time important?

Abstract

Objective – To relate specifically defined ‘good consultations’ (GC) to length of consultation, continuity, patients' age and sex, and different doctors.

Design – A questionnaire about consultation length, communication and problem character, given to doctors and patients immediately after consultations.

Main outcome measures – The number of GCs for different doctors in relation to time, continuity, and patients' age and sex were calculated.

Setting – 581 consultations were registered with six male general practitioners working at three different health centres in Umeå, a university town in northern Sweden.

Results – A significant difference in the number of GCs was only found between the doctors (p < 0.01). Length of consultation, patients' age and sex, and continuity had no impact on the GC frequency.

Conclusion – The doctor as a person and his working style is most important in achieving good consultations in general practice. Length of consultation is less influential.

Key Words:

• general practice
• consultation
• time
• patient satisfaction
• doctor-patient relation
• quality
• assessment