Should doctors encourage patients to record consultations?

Improved care

By far the strongest argument for encouraging patients to record consultations is that it is likely to improve the quality and safety of patient care. No studies have shown this, but it would be odd if clinicians did not adhere to good practice when being recorded. Evidence that patients like recordings comes from research done over the past 30 years in which clinicians have given patients audiotapes of their clinical encounters, typically in oncology and paediatric settings, and mainly in Europe.1 A review of more than 30 studies concluded that patients place a high value on receiving such recordings, their increased understanding, and the ability to share the recording with family members.1 Similar results would be achieved if patients were encouraged to record their own clinical encounters.

Granted, some negative effects could occur if recording became commonplace. Doctors might order more tests and generate more referrals and more follow-up visits. This kind of defensiveness may well lead to overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and increased costs.2 However, I …