Executive Summary of Key Concepts

Outpatient facilities are the primary point of health care contact for many Americans. Despite the increased utilization and adoption of technologymediated information sharing in clinical encounters, the consultation room design remains largely unchanged. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess six domains of interest, namely, (1) satisfaction with the visit and the consultation room, (2) mutual respect, (3) patient trust in the physician, (4) communication quality, (5) people– room interaction, and (6) interpersonal room interaction, by comparing a traditional room layout and an experimental room layout. The experimental room used a pedestal table rather than an examination table. The interpersonal room interaction was enhanced in the experimental room when compared to the traditional room. The experimental room also had better access to the computer screen, increased provider information sharing, and more time engaging providers in conversation about information on the monitor. Our findings suggest that changing in the layout of the consultation room has the potential to improve interpersonal communication through better information sharing. Clinicians who are interested in maximizing the benefits of their clinical encounter should consider changing the layout of their consultation room, especially the positioning of the computer screen.