Finding the Value: Identifying the Key Elements of Recorded Clinic Visits From the Perspective of Patients, Clinicians, and Caregivers

Objective

We aimed to understand what patients, caregivers and clinicians identified as the most important information from their audio-recorded clinic visits and why.

Methods

We recruited patients, caregivers and clinicians from primary and speciality care clinics at an academic medical centre in New Hampshire, U.S. Participants reviewed a recording or transcript of their visit, identifying meaningful moments and the reasons why. Two researchers performed a summative content analysis of the data.

Results

Sixteen patients, four with caregivers, from six clinicians participated. Patients, caregivers and clinicians identified a median of 7.5 (3–20), 12.5 (6–50) and 18 (4–31) meaningful visit moments, respectively. Moments identified were similar across stakeholders, including patient education, symptoms, recommendations and medications. Four themes emerged as a rationale for finding visit information meaningful: providing and receiving information, sharing the patient experience, forming a care plan, and providing emotional support. Clinicians rarely identified patient statements as important.

Conclusion

There was considerable agreement between patients, clinicians and caregivers regarding visit information that is most valuable. Patient contributions may be undervalued by clinicians.

Practice Implications

These findings can be used to improve patient-centred visit communication by focusing visit summaries and decision support on information of the most value to participants.