TY - JOUR

T1 - How to make the medical consultation more successful from a patient's perspective? Tips for doctors and patients from lay people in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

AU - Bensing, J

AU - Deveugele, M

AU - Moretti, F

AU - Fletcher, Ian

AU - Zimmermann, C

AU - van Vliet, L

AU - van Bogaert, M

AU - Rimondini, M

PY - 2011/9

Y1 - 2011/9

N2 - ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to generate empirically based ‘tips’ from lay people on how medical consultations could become more successful from a patient perspective.Methods258 Lay people in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, distributed over 32 focus groups, were invited to formulate ‘tips’ for doctors as well as patients after rating the quality of communication from videotaped consultations and discussing their arguments in focus groups.ResultsTips were remarkably similar across the four countries. Most tips reflect the professional literature, such as the importance of nonverbal communication, personal attention and empathy, but also addressed issues as how to deal with new technologies and new accessibility arrangements (triage). The tips were targeted to the consultation itself, its preparation and the aftercare. Tips for doctors were mirrored in tips for patients.ConclusionLay people seem to be competent in participating in quality-of-care debates. They are well aware of patients’ own responsibilities. Besides, they have clear opinions about novel technology and healthcare arrangements (triage).Practice implicationsListening to patients, showing empathy and personal attention seem to have a universal value. Doctors should be trained to practice these behaviors, healthcare managers in involving patients in practice reorganisations.

AB - ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to generate empirically based ‘tips’ from lay people on how medical consultations could become more successful from a patient perspective.Methods258 Lay people in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, distributed over 32 focus groups, were invited to formulate ‘tips’ for doctors as well as patients after rating the quality of communication from videotaped consultations and discussing their arguments in focus groups.ResultsTips were remarkably similar across the four countries. Most tips reflect the professional literature, such as the importance of nonverbal communication, personal attention and empathy, but also addressed issues as how to deal with new technologies and new accessibility arrangements (triage). The tips were targeted to the consultation itself, its preparation and the aftercare. Tips for doctors were mirrored in tips for patients.ConclusionLay people seem to be competent in participating in quality-of-care debates. They are well aware of patients’ own responsibilities. Besides, they have clear opinions about novel technology and healthcare arrangements (triage).Practice implicationsListening to patients, showing empathy and personal attention seem to have a universal value. Doctors should be trained to practice these behaviors, healthcare managers in involving patients in practice reorganisations.

KW - Quality of care

KW - Quality assessment

KW - Communication

KW - Empathy

KW - Lay people

KW - General practice

KW - Practice organisation

KW - International comparison study

KW - Video observation

KW - Focus group

KW - Triage

KW - Technology

U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2011.06.008

DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2011.06.008

M3 - Journal article

VL - 84

SP - 287

EP - 293

JO - Patient Education and Counseling

JF - Patient Education and Counseling

SN - 0738-3991

IS - 3

ER -