Is videotaping of consultations acceptable to patients attending a hospice day centre?

The use of a videotape recorder to analyse consultations in UK general practice is accepted, well established and has been extensively researched. The technique has potential in palliative medicine for training and the continuing assessment of communication skills as part of peer review. However, there have been no published studies on whether or not videotaping of consultations would be acceptable to a hospice population. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we interviewed 31 patients who had agreed to have their consultation with a doctor videotaped. Although 30 (97%) did not regret having given permission and would 'definitely' or 'possibly' agree to another recording in the future, three (10%) felt that the procedure had been inadequately explained to them, six (19%) felt that they were 'possibly' or 'definitely' not given sufficient notice of the recording and one patient felt under pressure to agree to the recording. These findings suggest that if videotaping of consultations in the hospice setting is to be undertaken, more advanced notice than that usually given in general practice is required and strict safeguards should be in place to protect vulnerable patients.