Doctor-patient communications in a private family practice

One hundred fifty-five randomly selected patients in a private family physician's office were interviewed immediately before and immediately after their visit with the doctor in an attempt to assess the degree of misunderstanding that occurs in doctor-patient communications. Fifty-four percent of these patients either forgot to mention all their medical problems to the physician or they confused or forgot certain instructions concerning their diagnosis or treatment. A X2 analysis failed to reveal any significant sex or age differences in the proportions of misunderstandings. There was also no correlation between the number of misunderstandings, the amount of time the doctor spent with the patients, the patient's rating of their own health on a scale of one to ten, and the patients' complaints or praises about their medical treatment. The number of years of formal education completed by the patient showed a direct relationship to the number of misunderstandings. Patients on their first three visits to this office tended to misunderstand more of their medical instructions. Furthermore, the study suggested that patients with chronic internal diseases and those who express excessive trust in their physician might have an increased proportion of misunderstandings.