A cross-sectional study involving 191,269 primary care visits across 311 physicians in a large US health system examined whether reduced time pressure during consultations was associated with changes in care delivery. Reduced time pressure was defined as having an unfilled same-day appointment slot immediately after the visit, giving physicians additional flexibility during patient encounters. Compared with regular time pressure visits, reduced time pressure visits were associated with more diagnoses being documented, more new diagnoses identified, more new prescriptions prescribed, and more diagnostic tests ordered.
The effects were most pronounced among patients with three or more chronic conditions. No significant differences were observed in referrals or preventive care measures such as immunizations. The findings suggest that reducing time pressure in primary care may modestly…
