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Primary Care Visit Length Increasing
Contrary to common belief, physicians have been spending more time with their patients, according to an Archives of Internal Medicine study.
In analyzing a sample of over 45,000 adult visits to primary care physicians between 1997 and 2005, researchers noted the following trends:
- During the 9-year period, the length of the average visit increased over 15%, from 18 minutes to about 21.
- Visit lengths for the three most common primary diagnoses also increased significantly (diabetes and hypertension, each by about 4 minutes; and visits for arthropathies by about 6 minutes).
- Less time was spent with black and Latino patients than with whites, on average.
The researchers also note that counseling about medications was generally not associated with longer visits. On this point, they comment that "ensuring that patients are prescribed the appropriate medications need not take more time than allowing their continued use of the wrong medication."
LINK(S):
Archives of Internal Medicine article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
Published in Physician's First Watch November 10, 2009
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