Factors related to consultation time: Experience in Slovenia

Figures & data

Table I.  Number of scores according to patient's age.

Age (years)	Number of scores
0–1	3.00
1–6	1.90
7–18	0.88
19–49	0.84
50–64	1.40
65–74	2.20
75 and above	3.00

Table II.  Consultation times with regard to the purpose of visits.

Type of visit	Number (percentage) of visits^1	Mean consultation time (median) in minutes	5%–95% intervals in minutes
Acute disease – first	3424 (27.4)	8.2 (7.0)	3.0–17.0
Acute disease – repeat	2480 (19.8)	6.4 (5.5)	2.0–14.0
Chronic disease – first	664 (5.3)	9.9 (9.0)	0.5–42.5
Chronic disease – repeat	3130 (24.2)	8.5 (7.5)	2.5–17.5
Preventive medical examination	300 (2.4)	13.3 (10.5)	3.0–29.5
Preoperative examination	95 (0.8)	10.7 (10.0)	3.0–20.5
Drug or medical equipment prescription	1970 (15.8)	3.5 (2.5)	1.0–10.0
Other administrative reason	1290 (10.3)	4.1 (3.0)	1.0–12.0
Consultation for relatives	290 (2.3)	6.7 (5.0)	1.0–16.5

¹The total exceeds 100%, because some patients visited the general practitioner for more than one reason at a time.

Table III.  Consultation times for different health problems.

Health problem	Number (percentage)	Mean consultation time (median) in minutes	5%–95% intervals in minutes
General conditions/symptoms	765(8.2)	8.7 (7.5)	2.5–20.5
Blood and haemopoetic disorders	155 (1.7)	8.3 (7.0)	2.0–18.5
Gastrointestinal disorders	1028 (11.0)	8.9 (8.0)	2.5–20.0
Eye disorders	306 (3.3)	9.0 (8.0)	2.0–21.0
Ear/mastoid disorders	303 (3.3)	8.4 (7.0)	3.0–17.0
Cardiovascular diseases	2321 (24.9)	9.9 (8.5)	3.5–20.5
Musculoskeletal disorders	1871 (20.1)	7.6 (7.0)	2.0–15.0
Neurological disorders	402 (4.3)	9.4 (8.0)	3.0–20.5
Psychiatric disorders	648 (7.0)	10.4 (9.0)	3.0–24.5
Respiratory tract diseases	1807 (19.4)	7.9 (7.0)	3.0–15.5
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders	1326 (14.2)	7.0 (5.5)	2.5–16.5
Endocrine disorders	977 (10.5)	10.0 (9.0)	3.0–21.0
Urinary tract diseases	459 (4.9)	8.5 (7.0)	3.0–16.5
Pregnancy-related health problems	61 (0.7)	7.5 (6.5)	1.5–19.5
Diseases of female reproductive organs	160 (1.7)	9.0 (7.5)	2.5–22.0
Diseases of male reproductive organs	192 (2.1)	9.0 (8.0)	3.0–17.5

Table IV.  Consultation time in relation to number of health problems.

Number of health problems	Mean consultation time (median) in minutes	5%–95% intervals in minutes
1	6.9 (6.0)	2.0–14.5
2	8.7 (8.0)	3.0–18.0
3	10.6 (9.5)	4.0–21.0
4	12.5 (11.0)	4.0–25.5
5 or more	15.5 (13.5)	5.0–31.5

Table V.  Linear regression of consultation time (model: F = 217.801, 11 degrees of freedom, p < 0.001).¹

	B	S.E.	beta	t	p
Constant	–0.791			–1.719	0.086 (NS)
Patient characteristics
Female gender	0.185	0.091	0.018	2.035	0.042
Higher level of education	0.322	0.040	0.072	9.058	< 0.001
Change of physician within the last year	0.436	0.216	0.017	2.018	0.044
Higher number of health problems	1.576	0.055	0.260	28.750	< 0.001
Higher age	0.021	0.003	0.077	8.199	< 0.001
Characteristics of physicians and organization
Higher age	0.018	0.008	0.027	2.395	0.017
High workload	−0.971	0.134	−0.083	−7.271	< 0.001
Type of visit
Consultation including clinical examination	3.387	0.104	0.283	32.440	< 0.001

¹The model explains 17.4% of the total variability in consultation time.