title: Patients' use of digital audio recordings in four different outpatient clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate a new technology of digital audio recording (DAR) of health consultations to provide knowledge about patients' use and evaluation of this recording method.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional feasibility analysis of the intervention using log data from the recording platform and data from a patient-administered questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four different outpatient clinics at a Danish hospital: Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Internal Medicine and Urology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two thousand seven hundred and eighty-four outpatients having their consultation audio recorded by one of 49 participating health professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  DAR of outpatient consultations provided to patients permitting replay of their consultation either alone or together with their relatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Replay of the consultation within 90 days from the consultation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the adult outpatient clinics, one in every three consultations was replayed; however, the rates were significantly lower in the paediatric clinic where one in five consultations was replayed. The usage of the audio recordings was positively associated with increasing patient age and first time visits to the clinic. Patient gender influenced replays in different ways; for instance, relatives to male patients replayed recordings more often than relatives to female patients did. Approval of future recordings was high among the patients who replayed the consultation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients found that recording health consultations was an important information aid, and the digital recording technology was found to be feasible in routine practice.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Unit, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, Denmark Institute of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Maiken
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolderslund
authors.affiliation: Institute of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark Department of Paediatrics, Lillebaelt Hospital, Kolding, Denmark.
authors.forename: Poul-Erik
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Kofoed
authors.affiliation: Institute of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holst
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Unit, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, Denmark Institute of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ammentorp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013637:Tape Recording / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: audio recordings; outpatients; patient safety; patient–provider communication; quality improvement; technology