As GPs, we spend our days talking.

Sure, we listen, we ask questions, we examine. But most of all we talk.

I’ve written before about the increasing pressure on GPs to do more in less time, and a side-effect from that pressure seems to be that we feel compelled to talk more and listen less.

A small American study in 2019 found that doctors interrupted patients after a median of only 11 seconds, suggesting that patients in an average appointment don’t get a lot of time to air their agenda.