Consultations do not have to be longer.

In our research into communication between doctors and patients, we have explored the extent to which patients' wants are met in consultations in general practice. On arrival at the practice, patients were asked to complete a form indicating whether they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements about what they wanted from their visit. They were subsequently asked what they felt they had got from the consultation, by using questions adapted from the patient requests form. Data were collected from 243 patients (86% response) seen by 18 general practitioners at seven practices, providing a representative range of general practitioners and practice populations.

We found that patients wanted most to talk to their general practitioner. At least half also wanted to participate in decisions about treatment, wanted the doctor to listen to what they thought was wrong, have the problem and the treatment explained to them, and receive a diagnosis.