Consultation time and its determinants in general practitioners of Gorgan, Iran

To determine average consultation time and evaluate its determinants in general practitce in Gorgan, Iran. 620 consultations from 62 general practitioners were evaluated. In addition physician consultation time was measured with a stopwatch. After the consultation, a questionnaire was completed for all patients. Data was analyzed by SPSSv11.5 software. The average consultation time of general practitioners in Gorgan was 6.9±2.6 minutes. Consultation time was directly correlated with patient’s interruption, educational level of patient and prescribing volume of physician. This study showed that consultation time in Gorgan is lower than many developed and developing countries. High number of patients in waiting rooms and high prescription volume might explain shorter consultation time in Gorgan.