Audio-visual recording of patient-GP consultations for research purposes: a literature review on recruiting rates and strategies.
OBJECTIVE
To identify ethical processes and recruitment strategies, participation rates of studies using audio or video recording of primary health care consultations for research purposes, and the effect of recording on the behaviour, attitudes and feelings of participants.


METHODS
A structured literature review using Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Psychinfo. This was followed by extensive hand search.


RESULTS
Recording consultations were regarded as ethically acceptable with some additional safeguards recommended. A range of sampling and recruitment strategies were identified although specific detail was often lacking. Non-participation rates in audio-recording studies ranged from 3 to 83% for patients and 7 to 84% for GPs; in video-recording studies they ranged from 0 to 83% for patients and 0 to 93% for GPs. There was little evidence to suggest that recording significantly affects patient or practitioner behaviour.


CONCLUSIONS
Research involving audio or video recording of consultations is both feasible and acceptable. More detailed reporting of the methodical characteristics of recruitment in the published literature is needed.


CONCLUSIONS
Researchers should consider the impact of diverse sampling and recruitment strategies on participation levels. Participants should be informed that there is little evidence that recording consultations negatively affects their content or the decisions made. Researchers should increase reporting of ethical and recruitment processes in order to facilitate future reviews and meta-analyses.
Themessl-Huber
Markus
M
School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Dundee, 11 Airlie Place, Dundee DD1 4HJ, UK. m.themesslhuber@dundee.ac.uk
Humphris
Gerry
G
Dowell
Jon
J
Macgillivray
Steve
S
Rushmer
Rosemary
R
Williams
Brian
B
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003625:Data Collection / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012107:Research Design; D012494:Sampling Studies; D014743:Videotape Recording / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods*