Family physicians' perceptions of the family conference

Ninety-one of 127 graduates (72 percent) of one family practice residency returned a questionnaire in which they estimated the likelihood that their patients would want a physician-family conference for each of 21 clinical situations. For each situation the physicians also rated their own preferences regarding patients' interest in family conferences. Serious medical illnesses received the highest ratings for both sets of ratings. For all 21 situations, physicians' estimates of patients' responses were significantly lower than physicians' preferred response ratings. The physicians' estimates and preferences regarding patients' interest in family conferences were compared with actual patients' ratings obtained in a previous study. The patient ratings were significantly greater than the physicians' estimates of patient ratings for 14 of 21 situations; the physicians' preferences ratings were significantly higher than the actual patient ratings for 11 situations and lower for three situations. The mean number of actual family conferences conducted in the previous month was 2.6, and 66 percent of respondents had conducted at least one such conference during this time. These data indicate that physicians may be more interested in family conferences than their patients are, but that they may underestimate the degree to which patients do, in fact, want them. The implications of these data for teaching, practice, and research are discussed.