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June 25, 2008Hurried doctor visits may leave patients feeling forgetful |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A University of Rochester Medical Center study disclosed that doctors don't often take the steps necessary to help patients recall medical instructions. The study, published online in this month's Journal of General Internal Medicine, investigated how frequently physicians repeat themselves, write down information, summarize instructions or take other steps to help patients remember the doctor's advice. The results suggest that doctors do not use these tools effectively or consistently. In fact, not one of the 49 doctors who took part in the study summarized their treatment recommendations. "It's common for patients to forget half of what they're told in a medical visit," said the study's lead author, Jordan Silberman, a second-year University of Rochester medical student. Researchers sent unannounced standardized patients (actors trained for this study) into primary care physician practices across Rochester, N.Y., with hidden recording devices. About half of the physicians repeated their recommendations, but some only repeated about 10 percent of the information. Very few of the doctors made sure the patient understood by asking him or her to repeat it back to the doctor -- a technique cited in research literature as one of the best ways to help patients recall medical advice. For example, Silberman said, the doctor might say, "We've talked about a lot of things today and I want to make sure you understand everything. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded the study, which was conducted at the Rochester Center to Improve Communication in Health Care, part of the URMC Department of Family Medicine.
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