The relationship between patients and their doctors has long been explored and remains key to delivering high-quality healthcare. Policymakers and healthcare professionals are increasingly interested in the patient experience.

A recent cross-sectional study in the British Journal of General Practice found the average face-to-face consultation length was 10 minutes, 22 seconds. Although this study found no association between consultation length and patient satisfaction, other research shows some evidence that longer consultations are associated with better health outcomes, including improved hypertension control and fewer prescriptions.

The patient's first contact with a primary care doctor may well be the beginning of his or her healthcare experience, determining diagnosis, treatments and referrals, if necessary, so timing may be crucial. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 83 percent of adults had contact with a healthcare professional in the past year; 53 percent were made to primary care physicians.

In the current practice environment, doctors face mounting demands that encroach on their time, including increasing administrative requirements for healthcare delivery. In view of limited health resources and the fact that doctors have long expressed frustration that patients visit them unnecessarily, patients are beginning to wonder if they may be wasting their doctors' time.

In a new study performed by the University of Cambridge, researchers investigated patient accounts of using health services and, in particular, whether they felt they were wasting their doctors' time. The subject arose during a series of interviews conducted with patients about their experiences during a previous primary care consultation but had not been a focus of the initial research.

Dr. Nadia Lianwarne and colleagues interviewed 52 patients (35 women, 17 men, aged 19 to 96 years) who had consulted with 34 different doctors in rural, suburban and inner-city areas of England. Immediately after their consultations, patients were asked to fill out a short survey, including whether they were interested in being part of a subsequent interview.

The interviews took place between 2012 and 2014, within four weeks of the patient's consultation, and were conducted in the patients' homes, with each interview lasting between 26 and 97 minutes. A video of each patient's consultation with his/her doctor was played during the interview along with discussion points, and patients were encouraged to pause the recording if the video triggered a thought or comment.

Themes emerging from the interview included concerns that patients may be wasting their doctors' time. Patients seemed to fear that they would be told they were not ill and need not have made the appointment.

This patient worry deserves attention for several reasons. First, by being aware of such concerns, doctors may be able to improve encounters with their patients. Being aware of such patient concerns also could help refine how health professionals communicate with patients.

Patients need to be empowered to seek help rather than worry about the legitimacy of the visit so that patients could, in some cases, receive a more timely diagnosis.