The six phases of the consultation

• 1. The doctor establishes a relationship with the patient
  
  
• 2. The doctor discovers or attempts to discover the reason for the attendance
  
  
• 3. The doctor conducts a verbal and/or physical examination
  
  
• 4. The doctor, the doctor and patient, or the patient (in that order of probability) consider the condition
  
  
• 5. The doctor and occasionally the patient detail further treatment or investigation
  
  
• 6. The consultation is terminated, usually by the doctor

Dysfunctional consultations tended to have less silence and often phase 2 and/or phase 4 were not successfully completed.