Many Australians are recording their visits to the doctor – some without permission

You are at a health care provider's appointment where you're told that you could have a serious illness. You might want to undergo several different tests to get a firm diagnosis. The treatment system is complex.

When you miss an appointment, you're nervous and also you're overwhelmed with information. You realize that you simply are already beginning to forget most of what the doctor said.

This experience could be very common. Research shows that individuals often forget, or misremember, what they're told. During medical appointments.

One option to solve this problem is to record medical appointments to play back later or share with others. our Recent research See how common it's in Australia, and the way people use the recordings they make.

How Recording Can Help

Exploratory research has shown what happens when patients are given recordings of medical appointments. Key benefits. Practice helps patients. Remember and understand their advice. And gives them more satisfaction of their care.

Study by taking a look at chosen counseling recordings Australian Hospital Recordings have also been found to enhance patients A sense of control.

What we don't know so clearly is whether or not patients are literally recording in real life. And if that's the case, why? Are they doing this openly or secretly? And what do they consider sharing these recordings with other people?

What we learned.

We ran one. Online survey Australian adults in mid-2022, are asking them these sorts of questions.

Of the 236 individuals who accomplished the survey, 71 percent said they might consider recording a health care provider's visit. Some 26% did so openly (ie, they recorded medical consultations with permission from the clinician).

Their reasons included keeping track of essential medical information, and listening again to enhance their understanding. As one person told us:

A cancer diagnosis is numerous information to tackle board and process. You may feel rushed and don't have time to take notes.

Another recorded to support living with a disability:

I actually have a brain injury that affects memory and I used to be not in a position to take anyone with me. I'm also hard of hearing so use a transcription app to 'read' what's being said when the opposite person is wearing a mask and I'm unable to read lips.

Covert recording (recording without asking or telling a health care provider) was also quite common – 22% of individuals in our survey had done it, or knew someone who had.

Mostly, people recorded secretly because they were fearful that they may say no if their doctor asked for permission (we all know that It happens).

While some felt uncomfortable asking, others recorded confidentially because that they had concerns concerning the advice and care they were receiving, and wanted a second opinion.

Whether people recorded with or without permission, they often valued having the ability to record advice, especially after they were vulnerable (for instance, after they were going to meetings alone or were receiving difficult news).

Sharing recordings

Patients should only share their recordings with trusted others, comparable to family or friends involved of their care, or other members of their healthcare team comparable to their GP, disability support employee, or described sharing with a therapist.

Previous research suggests that while many health professionals support recording, others may not. Feel uncomfortable about being recorded because they're concerned concerning the recording being posted on social media, or getting used in other potentially harmful ways beyond their control.

However, our study found that patients are strongly against sharing recordings more widely, comparable to on social media. This was seen as a big breach of trust within the health skilled patient relationship. One person said:

It could be highly unethical to achieve this. […] What is shared can very easily be misunderstood, misrepresented.

Patients were equally unwilling to share their personal health information over the Internet.

Is recording really allowed?

Making a recording of a non-public conversation, whether audio or video, is roofed by law. In Australia, the law varies between states and territories.

In several jurisdictions (Victoria, Queensland, Northern region, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory And Tasmania), patients don't need permission if the recording is for their very own use only. But I South Australia And Western Australiarecording without permission may end up in fines or jail time.

Regardless of the law, asking to record someone's OK is often the perfect option.

Just over half (56%) of our respondents wanted their clinic to permit recording, ideally establishing relevant policy and guidelines.

Few health services are moving towards recording support, recognizing it. Can be both lawful and beneficial.. However, we now have found that the majority of the services are paid for. Little attention has been paid to this issue.

Some limitations

Our survey was only available in English, so it didn't capture the experiences of individuals from diverse communities. But Previous research found that this group could particularly profit from recording medical advice.

We also think that recordings is probably not as frequent as our results suggest. We recruited participants through social media and health consumer networks, and people who responded to the survey were likely already fascinated with the subject.

Still, the findings are a useful indication that individuals in Australia sometimes record their visits to the doctor, and wish their health services to have the option to assist them.

What we found mirrored the image elsewhere. one Study in UK found that 15% of participants had secretly recorded a health care provider. A study in The United States It was found that about 19% of individuals had recorded counseling (3% confidential and 16% with permission).

Our study supports the concept that having the ability to record medical consultations improves patients' memory and understanding of what the therapist has told them. Policies and practices that prevent recording, without reasonable cause, needs to be modified to support recording, with clear safeguards around consent and disclosure.