Communication with patients and the duration of family medicine consultations.

Objective: To determine the distribution of consultation times, the factors that determine their length, and their relationship with a more participative, patient-centred consulting style.
Design: Cross-sectional multicentre study.
Location: Primary Healthcare Centres in Andalusia, Spain.
Participants: A total of 119 tutors and family medicine physician residents.
Principal Measurements: Consultation length and communication with the patient were analysed using the CICCAA scale (Connect, Identify, Understand, Consent, Help) during 436 interviews in Primary Care.
Results: The mean duration of consultations was 8.8min (sd: 3.6). The consultation tended to be longer when the physician had a patient-centred approach (10.37±4.19min vs 7.54±2.98min; p=0.001), and when there was joint decision-making (9.79±3.96min vs 7.73±3.42min: p=0.001). In the multivariable model, longer consultations were associated with obtaining higher scores on the CICAA scale, a wider range of reasons for consultation, whether they came accompanied, in urban centres, and a smaller number of daily visits (r ² =0.32). There was no correlation between physician or patient gender, or problem type.
Conclusion: A more patient centred medical profile, increased shared decision-making, a wider range of reasons for consultation, whether they came accompanied, in urban centres, and less professional pressure all seem to be associated with a longer consultation.
(Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)