Patient Care and Time

Maukseh, Dugale, Dodson, and Epstein performed a literature review of studies on patient-doctor relationships and time. They found that over all, understanding a patient’s perspective to create a trusting relationship did not increase the amount of time needed for an appointment.¹⁹ Knowing that time is not a factor, the explanatory model can be used to make the appointment more satisfactory for the patient. Satisfaction leads to lower rates of malpractices claims, and increased compliance with treatment regimen.^19,24 Creating a trusting relationship is important for finding and giving the best treatment.

Both the review and a study by Dugale, Epstein, and Pantilet gave three main strategies for ensuring that appointments remain efficient: rapport building, up-front agenda setting, and acknowledging social or emotional cues.^7,19 The explanatory model aids a physician with the first and third of these. Talking to the patient to discover his or her main concern at the beginning of the appointment allows the most serious concern to be addressed rather than having it be mentioned near the end when time is running out. To facilitate these strategies, communication and time management skills need to be developed. Readers are encouraged to search the review and the study for specific examples.