Using video-recorded consultations for research in primary care: advantages and limitations

Background. Video-recording primary care consultations is an established technique for primary care research. Despite the widespread use of video-recording to help answer a variety of research questions, little is known about how this recording technique influences the findings of studies in which it is employed. Objective. This article investigates how video-recorded consultations have been used in research and discusses how this technique may influence both the internal and external validity of studies. Conclusion. Using video-recorded consultations for research purposes may cause bias in the characteristics of doctors and patients who agree to participate in research. There is little evidence, however, that video-recording influences the behaviour of either GPs or patients. Recommendations are made for researchers who are considering using video-recorded consultations in their research.