Time use during acute and chronic illness visits to a family physician
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2026

Acupoint Application as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Fatigue Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: September 5, 2025
Barbara Yawn1, Meredith A Goodwin, Stephen J Zyzanski
1Department of Research, Olmsted Medical Center, 210 Ninth Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904, USA. yawnx002@tc.umn.edu
Objective:
To identify differences in time use during acute and chronic care visits.
Population:
Patients coming to outpatient offices of physician members of a practice-based research network in Ohio.
Measures:
Direct observation and coding of physician activities during acute and chronic care visits.
Results:
Time use varied by visit type with more time spent on compliance assessment, negotiation, and nutrition advice during chronic care visits. Acute care visits included more time for procedures, physical examination, feedback on test results and health education.
Conclusion:
Physicians structure their use of time to fit the differing goals of acute and chronic care visits.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of Documentation II: POMR
Classification of Illness
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...
Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments and...
Guidelines for Nursing Documentation II
Timely documentation is crucial to ensure continuity of care for patients. Any delays in recording or reporting medical information can result in medical errors and even adverse patient outcomes. From medication administration to diagnostic test results, every detail must be accurately and promptly documented to provide the best possible care for patients.
Special considerations while measuring pulse
Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...