The effect of GMC guidelines on the length of otolaryngological out-patient clinics in a district general hospital

Abstract

The British Association of Otolaryngologists has laid down guidelines on the length of time that should be allocated to an out-patient consultation. The General Medical Council (GMC) has also produced guidelines as to what is to be discussed with a patient during an out-patient consultation. This study was designed to determine what effect adhering to the GMC's guidelines would have on the length of an out-patient consultation. Out-Patient consultations were timed for patients referred with common otolaryngological complaints. The study was then repeated after the researchers had been given specific instructions on what to discuss with the patients to comply with the GMC guidelines. Consultation times more than doubled after application of the GMC guidelines. This study highlights the difficulty of specifically adhering to guidelines from our regulatory body, while attempting to fulfil the demands for consultations, with the existing manpower levels available.

The Patient Concerns Inventory: A Tool to Uncover Unmet Needs in a Cancer Outpatient Clinic

“…Compliance with the GMC guidelines on good communication has reportedly increased the length in consultation times in non-cancer otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinics although these clinics did not use communication adjuncts. 31 Patients and doctors with a proactive approach (ie those who refer actively to the prompt list during consultation) were able to conduct consultations faster by focusing on the items highlighted. 19 When used proactively, the PCI checklist promotes focused discussion on issues directly relevant to patient needs, enabling these issues to be addressed during that visit while allowing the consultant's agendas (ie biomedical and treatment related concerns) to be achieved.…”