Changing family physicians' visit structuring behavior: a pilot study.

Objective: This study assessed the degree to which family physicians elicit patients' agendas and negotiate the agenda of the medical visit, related this behavior to late-arising patient concerns and satisfaction with the visit, and assessed the degree to which visit-structuring behavior can be modified by a brief workshop.

Methods: We reviewed 65 audiotaped clinic visits conducted by three experienced family physicians before (36 visits) and after (29 visits) a workshop on structuring outpatient visits. We also collected patient and physician satisfaction ratings through post-visit questionnaires.