Sometimes patients have a good reason for wanting to record a medical appointment but you have the right to establish a recording policy for your practice.
Posted in Articles on Monday, February 26, 2024
Sometimes, patients have a good reason for wanting to record a medical appointment. A patient may, for example, want to record a visit because they may have difficulty remembering what was said. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50% of patients walk out of their physician's office unclear on what they were told or what they were supposed to do.
Another reason for wanting to record a visit may be that the family member present for the visit may want to keep other family members informed and want to ensure they share all clinical information correctly.
Once you discover the reason for recording, you can find a more appropriate way to get the patient and/or family member what they need while at the same time respecting the privacy of other patients and the practice itself.
Recordings can help improve patient adherence, engagement, and outcomes. To manage office visit recordings, consider these strategies:
- Assume that everything you say is being recorded.
- If a patient wants to record the office visit, allow them to record a summary of instructions at the end of the visit.
- Offer your patient a notepad and pen to take notes.
- If you know you are being recorded, ask the patient to repeat back to you what you've said. Correct any misunderstandings your patient has. This will improve compliance and protect you from potential issues.
Regardless of their reason for wanting to record a visit, you have every right to establish a policy for your practice that discourages recording in any fashion. At the end of the day the decision is yours.