Doctors Manage Several Patient Problems in Short Office Visits

A new study of conversations between physicians and patients reveals that primary care doctors often juggle many patient concerns during routine office visits.

"We documented that on average there are six topics that were discussed, and there is not a lot of time allocated to these topics," said lead study author Ming Tai-Seale, Ph.D.

During the doctor-patient interactions, the topic that received the most talk time was typically discussed for about five minutes. The remaining issues typically received about a minute of discussion each, found the study in the latest online issue of the journal Health Services Research.

"Some of those 'remaining' issues may have deserved more time," said Tai-Seale, an associate professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center. "Those topics can be about mental health, personal habits