Consulting room computers and their effect on general practitioner-patient communication

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Human-Computer Interaction
• General Practice

Background:

• Computers are standard in general practitioner (GP) consulting rooms.
• GP computer use may interfere with or enhance patient communication.
• Understanding the impact of computer use on GP-patient communication is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between computer use and GP-patient communication.
• To analyze changes in computer use and communication over time (2001 vs. 2008).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of videotaped GP consultations from 2001 and 2008.
• Observation of computer use and GP-patient communication.
• Multilevel modeling of patient experience questionnaires nested within GPs.

Main Results:

• GPs used computers in nearly all consultations in both years.
• Computer use negatively correlated with GP's patient-directed gaze and information provision.
• No association found between computer use and other verbal/non-verbal behaviors or patient-reported experiences.

Conclusions:

• GPs demonstrated increased reluctance to use computers in 2008 compared to 2001.
• GP computer use can negatively impact communication dynamics.
• GPs should remain mindful of computer use to maintain patient interaction.