Improving the effectiveness of the medical visit: a brief visit-structuring workshop changes patients' perceptions of primary care visits.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To teach visit-structuring strategies to primary care clinicians with a 1.5-h experiential workshop and assess its effect on patient perceptions of their medical visits. METHODS: We developed and conducted a 90 min workshop for 75 clinicians from seven primary care clinics, and evaluated the effectiveness of the workshop by assessing changes in patients' ratings of visit qualities from 1 week prior (n=301) to 1 week after (n=322) the workshop. Patients rated their physicians' visit-structuring skills as well as satisfaction with their medical visits. RESULTS: Patients were highly satisfied with their visits both before and after the workshop. Post-workshop ratings of medical visits were more likely to indicate that all problems were addressed during the visit. CONCLUSIONS: A brief workshop had a positive measurable effect on patients' perception of their medical visits. Future research should address the utility of patient rated assessments of visit characteristics. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Physicians' ability to establish and maintain a productive structure in primary care office visit is an important skill that can improve the quality of care, and some changes in physician visit-structuring behavior can be measured using patient perceptions.