Abstract
A group of 200 patients who presented in general practice with symptoms but no abnormal physical signs and in whom no definite diagnosis was made were randomly selected for one of four consultations: a consultation conducted in a "positive manner," with and without treatment, and a consultation conducted in a "non-positive manner," called a negative consultation, with and without treatment. Two weeks after consultation there was a significant difference in patient satisfaction between the positive and negative groups but not between the treated and untreated groups. Similarly, 64% of those receiving a positive consultation got better, compared with 39% of those who received a negative consultation (p = 0.001) and 53% of those treated got better compared with 50% of those not treated (p = 0.5).
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bain D. J. Can the clinical course of acute otitis media be modified by systemic decongestant or antihistamine treatment? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1983 Sep 3;287(6393):654–656. doi: 10.1136/bmj.287.6393.654. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Howard C. R. G. The Problem of Defining the Extent of Morbidity in General Practice. J Coll Gen Pract Res Newsl. 1959 May;2(2):119–139. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LEES D. S., COOPER M. H. THE WORK OF THE GENERAL PRACTITIONER: AN ANALYTICAL SURVEY OF STUDIES OF GENERAL PRACTICE. J Coll Gen Pract. 1963 Aug;6:408–435. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stott N. C., West R. R. Randomised controlled trial of antibiotics in patients with cough and purulent sputum. Br Med J. 1976 Sep 4;2(6035):556–559. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6035.556. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas K. B. Temporarily dependent patient in general practice. Br Med J. 1974 Mar 30;1(5908):625–626. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5908.625. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas K. B. The consultation and the therapeutic illusion. Br Med J. 1978 May 20;1(6123):1327–1328. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6123.1327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Treadway J. Patient satisfaction and the content of general practice consultations. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1983 Dec;33(257):769–771. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ward T., Knowelden J., Sharrard W. J. Low back pain. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1968 Feb;15(2):128–136. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zander L. I. From paternalism to patient autonomy. Can legislation stimulate change? Practitioner. 1985 Dec;229(1410):1087–1089. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]