'What are you hiding from me?' A qualitative study exploring health consumer attitudes and experiences regarding the patient-led recording of a hospital clinical encounter

Abstract

Objective: Health consumers (patients, their family, friends and carers) are frequently using their smartphones to record hospital clinical encounters. However, there is limited research which has explored the social interaction surrounding this behaviour. Understanding the consumer perspective is key to informing policy and practice. This study explored consumer attitudes and experiences regarding patient-led recordings.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were undertaken with 20 hospital consumers. Participants were recruited via advertising, posters and invitation letters. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings: Four main themes were identified relating to participant perspectives of patient-led recordings: (1) consumers viewed clinician consent as important, although they reported different experiences of the consent process, (2) consumers indicated that a clinician refusing the recording had the potential to undermine the consumer-clinician relationship, (3) consumers were both uninformed and misinformed regarding relevant policy and legislation and (4) consumers expressed a number of expectations regarding their rights to record and of the health service in supporting this practice.

Conclusion: Consumers want to record their clinical encounters with the consent of their clinician but are unprepared to navigate consent discussions. Health services and clinicians should inform consumers who want to record about their rights and responsibilities, to support the consent process and safe recording environments. Clinician refusal to consent to a patient-led recording may not lead to increased covert recording; however, clear communication about the reasons for refusing a recording is needed to protect the consumer-clinician relationship.

Patient or public contribution: A health consumer was part of the research team and was involved in all stages of this study, including the design, data analysis and reviewing of the manuscript.

Keywords: Smartphones; mobile interventions; professional-patient relations.