Consultation Talk

Prompt: Use short clips from GP: Behind Closed Doors to explore how GPs communicate in a busy surgery. Analyse how the GP opens the conversation, manages multiple problems, and checks the patient’s understanding.

Task Overview

This task asks you to explore how GPs communicate during real consultations inside a busy surgery. Using short clips from GPs: Behind Closed Doors, you will analyse:

How the GP opens the consultation
How they manage multiple problems raised by the patient
How they check understanding and ensure the patient leaves with clear next steps

Your focus is on real‑life interaction, not medical accuracy. The aim is to understand the structure, tone, and strategies used in primary‑care consultations.

To get you started

1. Select 2–3 short clips

You may use the clips provided or find your own online.

The following videos contain genuine GP consultations captured inside surgeries from the show GP: Behind Closed Doors

2. Analyse how the GP opens the conversation

Look for features such as:

greeting (“How can I help today?”)
small talk or rapport-building
immediate problem‑focusing
tone of voice: calm, rushed, warm, formal

3. Examine how the GP manages multiple problems

Patients often raise several issues (e.g., chronic pain + medication concerns + stress).

You should identify:

How the GP prioritises (“Let’s deal with one thing at a time”)
If they negotiate the agenda (“What’s worrying you the most today?”)
Whether they redirect the patient politely
How time pressure affects communication

4. Observe how the GP checks patient understanding

Look for:

confirmation questions (“Does that make sense?”)
repeated summaries (“So what we’ll do is…”)
safety-netting (“If it gets worse, come back”)
use of simple vs. technical language

5. Make detailed notes

For each clip, write down:

exact phrases the GP uses
how the patient responds
moments where confusion is repaired
any signs of reassurance or empathy

6. Compare communication styles across your clips

Ask:

Which GP was the clearest?
Who managed time pressure best?
Who handled multiple problems most effectively?
Which consultation felt most patient‑centred?

7. Produce a short reflective paragraph

Summarise what you learned about:

how real GP talk differs from textbook examples
how communication changes when the surgery is busy
how GPs balance empathy with efficiency