The British Medical Association (BMA) said physicians cannot treat patients properly under a recommended 10-minute limit per patient visit. The BMA suggested increasing appointment lengths to 15 minutes, which has become common in America. But many U.S. physicians consider 15 minutes too short.
“General practice in the U.K. cannot be allowed to continue being run into the ground. It’s time for positive change that gives patients the care they deserve,” said Brian Balmer, M.D., a member of the association’s general practice committee executive team, in the announcement of the report.
The 10-minute patient visits mean that some doctors see up to 60 patients a day and don’t provide enough time for patients with complicated needs, the organization asserted, adding that that number should be limited to 25 a day per doctor, recommended in many European Union countries.
A spokesman for the National Health Service told The Independent newspaper that it is up individual general practices to decide how much time to allocate to individual patient appointments based on patient need, adding that there are no national limits that suggest 10 minutes as the norm for visits.
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