BMJ  2006;332 (27 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7552.0-a

Identifying patients' agendas improves consultations

Training doctors to elicit patients' agendas or asking patients to write down what they want from their consultation increases the number of problems identified during the consultation. Middleton and colleagues (p 1238) carried out a randomised controlled trial of education to increase awareness of patients' agendas in consultations with 46 UK general practitioners, plus an embedded clustered trial of a patient agenda form in almost 1000 consultations. Both the doctors' education and the agenda form increased the numbers of problems identified and improved patient satisfaction, but they also increased the length of consultations.

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Relevant Article

Effect of patient completed agenda forms and doctors' education about the agenda on the outcome of consultations: randomised controlled trial

J F Middleton, R K McKinley, and C L Gillies
BMJ 2006 332: 1238-1242. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]