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Interruptions during general practice consultations--the patients' view

A Dearden¹, M Smithers, A Thapar

¹Department of General Practice, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.

Family Practice

|April 1, 1996

Summary

Interruptions during medical consultations impact patients, with 20% feeling negatively affected. While most patients don't prioritize interruption reasons, a significant minority experience emotional distress, highlighting the need for further research.

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Area of Science:

Medical Consultation Dynamics
Patient Experience Research

Background:

Limited research exists on the impact of interruptions during patient consultations.
Consultation aspects are well-documented, but interruption effects remain under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate patient perspectives on interruptions during general practice consultations.
To understand how patients perceive the frequency and impact of interruptions.

Main Methods:

A pilot study measured interruption sources and frequency in a single general practitioner's consultations.
A questionnaire assessed the effects of interruptions on 102 affected patients.

Main Results:

The overall interruption rate was 10.2%, with telephones causing 50%.

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While most patients reported no significant effect, 20% felt interruptions had a negative impact, and 40% preferred not to be interrupted.

A notable 18% of patients exhibited a strongly negative emotional response to interruptions.

Conclusions:

Findings indicate a significant minority of patients are negatively affected by consultation interruptions.
Further research is warranted to explore the nuanced effects of interruptions on patient experience and consultation quality.