{"id":1195,"date":"2017-11-08T23:32:18","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T23:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjopen\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2017-11-08T16:33:50","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:33:50","slug":"primary-care-consultations-last-less-than-5-minutes-for-half-the-worlds-population","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjopen\/2017\/11\/08\/primary-care-consultations-last-less-than-5-minutes-for-half-the-worlds-population\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary care consultations last less than 5 minutes for half the world\u2019s population"},"content":{"rendered":"

But range from 48 seconds in Bangladesh to 22.5 minutes in Sweden<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Primary care consultations last less than 5 minutes for half the world\u2019s population, but range from 48 seconds in Bangladesh to 22.5 minutes in Sweden, reveals the largest international study<\/a> of its kind, published in the online journal BMJ Open<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Shorter consultation times have been linked to poorer health outcomes for patients and a heightened risk of burnout for doctors. And as demand for primary health care rises around the globe, the length of a consultation has increasingly come under pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

To tease out the potential impact on patients and the wider healthcare system, the researchers reviewed the data on consultation length from 178 relevant studies covering 67 countries and more than 28.5 million consultations.<\/span><\/p>\n

They included both peer reviewed research and the \u2018grey literature\u2019–research produced outside of traditional academic or commercial channels–published between 1946 and 2016 in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.<\/span><\/p>\n

The results showed that average consultation length varied widely, from 48 seconds in Bangladesh, to 22.5 minutes in Sweden. In 15 countries, which represent around half of the world\u2019s population, the appointment lasted less than 5 minutes. And it lasted under 10 minutes in a further 25. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle can be achieved in less than 5 minutes unless the focus is largely on detection and management of gross disease,\u201d suggest the researchers. \u201cAn average of 5 minutes may be the limit below which consultations amount to little more than triage and the issue of prescriptions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In developed countries, average consultation time seemed to steadily increase: by 12 seconds a year to over 20 minutes in the US; and by just over 4 seconds a year to 10 minutes in the UK. However, \u00a0the UK started from a low baseline, and on current trends it will only reach a length of 15 minutes by 2086, the researchers point out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of more concern, they say, is that consultation length seems to be shortening in some low and middle income countries, which may have important implications for population growth and the expansion of treatment options.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several key findings emerged from the data analysis. Length of consultation was significantly associated with:<\/span><\/p>\n