Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1985 Jun 15;290(6484):1789-91. doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6484.1789.

Topic analysis: an objective measure of the consultation and its application to computer assisted consultations.

British medical journal (Clinical research ed.)

M Pringle, S Robins, G Brown

PMID: 3924259 PMCID: PMC1415966 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.290.6484.1789
Free PMC Article

Abstract

A simple method has been developed to classify the verbal interaction during medical consultations in terms of the relative proportions of medical and social content and the initiator of conversational topics discussed. The method has been applied to video tape recordings of three doctors' consultations with and without a computer present to classify and compare the items discussed. Actual computer use has been shown to have a medical effect on the consultations (p less than 0.05) and to increase the proportion of topics initiated by the doctor (p less than 0.001). Although this was largely accounted for by the massive increase in doctor initiated medical items resulting directly from computer use, there was evidence that, for two of the doctors, these topics were replacing some of the normal social and patient initiated medical exchanges.

MeSH terms

• Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted
• Family Practice
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Primary Health Care / methods
• Referral and Consultation*
• United Kingdom

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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