The design of a consultation room can improve the quality of a visit to a doctor's office, according to a study released by the Mayo Clinic.

"This study supports the notion that the space in which people meet can influence how they work together," said Dr. Victor Montori. He also said more studies are needed to confirm the findings, which came from a randomized trial.

For the study, researchers watched 63 pairs of patients and doctors. The pairs were assigned by chance to either a conventional office or an experimental one.

The experimental office put the patient and the doctor side by side in front of a computer. The researchers said that the setup allowed doctors to share more information. Patients said in a follow-up survey that they had better access to information such as test results and education materials.

The doctors also felt they could share more information.

The results will appear in the October issue of Health Environments Research and Design Journal.