Physician Consultation Time and Perceived Quality of Outpatient Care for New Cancer Patients in Korea: An Experimental Vignette Survey of the General Public and Physicians.

backgroundIn the Republic of Korea, the limited outpatient consultation time for serious illnesses has been widely cited as a major concern for quality of care, often referred to as the "3-minute consultation." Short consultations hinder essential clinical functions, weaken physician-patient communication, and may lead to inefficient healthcare utilization. However, little research has been conducted on whether consultation time affects the perceived quality of outpatient care, particularly from both the patient's and the physician's perspectives.

methodsAn experimental vignette-based survey was conducted with 2,023 individuals from the general public and 324 junior physicians between August 5 and 26, 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four consultation scenarios (3, 5, 10, or 15 minutes), each depicting an initial outpatient visit for a cancer patient at a tertiary hospital. Perceived quality of care was assessed using a 13-item questionnaire that covered key aspects of the patient experience, likely consequences of the consultation, and overall perceptions. Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 for strongly disagree to 5 for strongly agree), except for the final item on overall rating. For each item, trend analysis was conducted to test whether a greater amount of consultation time is associated with higher perceived quality of care. Differences between the general public and physician samples were also examined.

resultsLonger consultation times were associated with higher perceived quality of care across almost all items and groups (

conclusionLonger consultation times are likely to improve the quality of care in tertiary oncology outpatient settings, from both the patient and physician perspectives.