ABSTRACT
Managing time effectively and efficiently is one of the keys to good consultations for both doctor and patient. This chapter highlights that it is very difficult to have an adequate consultation that lasts less than 10 minutes. However, a great deal can be accomplished in 10 minutes. Consultations can be made more time-efficient by summarising, which may appear to add precious seconds but can save minutes. Doctors and nurses consult at a whole range of intervals, most commonly between 7 and 15 minutes, with an average length of 11.7 minutes according to a survey in 2006–7. Practice nurses and nurse practitioners had an average consultation length of 15.5 minutes. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) pointed out the conflicts and challenges of various factors: patients of course want timely and convenient access, consultations are getting more complex but there are well-recognised concerns about the supply of primary care practitioners.
