Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29118053›Full record

SynthesisBMJ open2017

International variations in primary care physician consultation time: a systematic review of 67 countries.

Greg Irving, Ana Luisa Neves, Hajira Dambha-Miller, Ai Oishi, Hiroko Tagashira, Anistasiya Verho, John Holden

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 406 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
406citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
206.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

406 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,086 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Exploring Communication Dynamics Between Patients and Healthcare Providers in Oncology: A Systematic Review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025
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346 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Greg IrvingPrimary Care Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9471-3700
Ana Luisa NevesDepartment of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences (MEDCIDS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Hajira Dambha-MillerPrimary Care Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0175-443X
Ai OishiThe Usher Institute of Population Health and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Hiroko TagashiraHorton General Hospital, Banbury, UK.
Anistasiya VerhoThe University of Helsinki, Finland.
John HoldenGarswood Surgery, Wigan, UK.
University of Cambridge · GBHorton General Hospital · GBUniversidade do Porto · PTUniversity of Edinburgh · GBUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

Department of Health DRF-2015-08-027
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo describe the average primary care physician consultation length in economically developed and low-income/middle-income countries, and to examine the relationship between consultation length and organisational-level economic, and health outcomes. DESIGN AND OUTCOME MEASURES: This is a systematic review of published and grey literature in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian languages from 1946 to 2016, for articles reporting on primary care physician consultation lengths. Data were extracted and analysed for quality, and linear regression models were constructed to examine the relationship between consultation length and health service outcomes.

resultsOne hundred and seventy nine studies were identified from 111 publications covering 28 570 712 consultations in 67 countries. Average consultation length differed across the world, ranging from 48 s in Bangladesh to 22.5 min in Sweden. We found that 18 countries representing about 50% of the global population spend 5 min or less with their primary care physicians. We also found significant associations between consultation length and healthcare spending per capita, admissions to hospital with ambulatory sensitive conditions such as diabetes, primary care physician density, physician efficiency and physician satisfaction.

conclusionThere are international variations in consultation length, and it is concerning that a large proportion of the global population have only a few minutes with their primary care physicians. Such a short consultation length is likely to adversely affect patient healthcare and physician workload and stress.

Indexed as

Appointments and SchedulesPhysician-Patient RelationsFamily PracticeHumansOffice VisitsPatient SatisfactionPhysicians, Primary CareReferral and ConsultationTime Factorsconsultationglobal healthprimary care

Identifiers

PMID29118053
PMCPMC5695512
OpenAlexW2767996342

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.