Written lists in the consultation: attitudes of general practitioners to lists and the patients who bring them

Abstract

Background: Written lists of patients' concerns could help to improve doctor-patient communication in primary care consultations.

Aim: This study set out to explore the attitudes of doctors to written lists, and to the patients who bring them.

Method: A piloted questionnaire was sent to all 58 trainers in the Leicester sub-region--49 (84%) responded.

Results: There was evidence of ambiguity in doctors' attitudes to lists--71% thought that they were an aid to clarifying problems, but 67% felt that they would be time consuming, and 45% thought that more patients should bring lists. Doctors also appeared to have a negative stereotype of the patients who bring lists, with 90% endorsing the description obsessional, and over 50% the descriptions heartsink and neurotic. Also, over 75% thought such patients were middle aged and female.

Conclusion: If patients were to be encouraged to bring lists to consultations, in order to improve communication, it might be necessary to overcome some negative perceptions of doctors, which are perhaps engendered by a small number of patients.