Does computer use in patient-physician encounters influence patient satisfaction?

EDITOR’S KEY POINTS

• Patient-physician communication is central to every physician’s practice and to patient satisfaction. Physicians have been concerned that the introduction of computers into patient consultations will lead to a breakdown of communication.
  
• This study sought to examine patients’ opinions about the effects of computer use on patient-physician interaction and on their satisfaction with their visits.
  
• Results of this study suggest that concerns about computer use negatively affecting patient-physician relationships and patient satisfaction are largely unfounded. Most patients had no preference for whether computers were used or not, and computer use actually seemed to have a positive effect on overall satisfaction. Other studies have shown that patients’ main concerns about computer use have to do with privacy, but in this study only 3.4% of respondents were concerned about a "negative" or "very negative" effect on privacy.