ROLES AND INFLUENCE OF PEOPLE WHO ACCOMPANY PATIENTS ON VISITS TO THEDOCTOR

OBJECTIVES To determine the proportion of patients who are accompanied by another person tie, partner, child, relative, friend) during visit s to their doctors; to describe the demographic characteristics and ro le(s) assumed by the main accompanying person and the nature of the pr esenting dyads; and to describe the influence of the main accompanying person on the patient-doctor interaction. DESIGN Prospective observat ional survey. SETTING Family practices in London, Ont, and surrounding area. PARTICIPANTS Eight family physicians completed surveys on 100 c onsecutive patients attending for both regularly scheduled and emergen cy visits. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Roles and influence of the main accom panying person. RESULTS Approximately one third (30.4%) of patients we re accompanied during visits to their doctors. Children and patients o lder than 75 years most frequently had another person with them. Most patients (74.1%) were accompanied by one person who most often was fem ale (72.6%) and between the ages of 21 and 40 years (53.6%). The accom panying person's role was most frequently described by doctors as an a dvocate for the patient (n=235, 68.5%. If the accompanying person was a child, however, the role was most often described as a silent observ er (n = 36, 68.6%). The influence of the main accompanying person on t he patient doctor encounter was usually described as positive (95.1%). CONCLUSIONS Physicians report that people accompanying patients usual ly have a positive influence on medical encounters. Future studies nee d to include patients' and accompanying persons' perspectives.