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Patients comment on video-recorded consultations — the "good" GP and the "bad"

Elisabeth Arborelius, Department of Community medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden Department of Anthropology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA

Toomas Timpka

Toomas Timpka, Department of Community medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden Department of Anthropology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA, Address for offprints: Toomas Timpha Dept of Community Medicine Linkoping University S-58185 Linkoping Sweden

James M. Nyce

James M. Nyce, Department of Community medicine, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden Department of Anthropology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA

Patients comment on video-recorded consultations — the "good" GP and the "bad". Arborelius, E., Timpka, T. and Nyce, J. M. (Department of Social Medicine, Linköping University and Department of Anthoropology, Brown University, USA).

The aim of this study was to describe and understand patients' positive and negative experiences of General Practitioners (GPs). Forty-six consultations were videotaped in four primary health care centres in Sweden. Afterwards the patients commented on the recorded consultations. The comments were categorized and analyzed using an exploratory qualitative approach. An image of the "good" GP emerged that had two major characteristics: that of being a caring human; an individual who listens, understands, and is concerned. At the same time, the good GP acts like an ordinary person and treats the patient as an equal. The personal relationship with the GP also influenced the choice and course of medical interventions. For the patient, the manner in which an intervention is seen is linked to whether the GPs treats the patient with respect or not. A typical experience of a "bad" GP was that the GP appeared unreachable as a person. An example is when the patient feels that the GP was not taking his or her symptoms seriously. Another characteristic of the bad GP is failure to communicate to the patient his or her standpoint on issues raised during consultations.

Key Words: Doctor-patient relationship • practice studies • video recordings • qualitative methods

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 20, No. 4, 213-216 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/140349489202000405


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