title: How long should we talk to patients? A study in doctor-patient communication.
abstract: The 13 questions to which 173 rheumatic outpatients most frequently wished to know the answer were made the basis of a structured interview. Two lengths of interview were conducted in a controlled trial (short being of 2 minutes' duration, long ranging from 4 to 11 minutes). Sixty patients referred directly from their general practitioners, and not being in any of the remedial professions, were randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups. They were tested by an independent observer immediately after interview, and one month later at their return appointment, by means of a questionnaire that covered the 13 items of information given to all the patients. The longer interview resulted in significantly more information being retained. Of individual questions only 3 scored significantly better with the longer interview--that about the reasons for x-rays immediately after interview, and the role of heredity and the place of rest at delayed recall.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors