Ever been faced with a patient asking if they can record the consultation, or suspected that a patient is recording covertly?

Recording healthcare consultations is a common practice, made easy by the ubiquitous smartphone.

But why do patients record, and why might GPs want to think twice before saying no?

Research spanning several decades (albeit mostly in tertiary healthcare settings) has demonstrated that providing patients with recordings of their medical appointments actually has many benefits, to both patients and doctors.