Highlights: ? Computers are becoming ever present in health in developed nations and are creating a three-way relationship in the consultation. ? Findings describe the way in which screen presentation and specific requirements for recording affect the consultation. ? Summary screens and prompts are active agents in shaping the consultation. ? Patients and doctors will have to adapt their communicative styles in response to these changes.Abstract: Background: Almost all general practitioners in Australia now use a computer for some part of the consultation, and mostly use one of eight clinical software applications. There has been little research into the impact of clinical software on the clinical consultation. Clinical software broadly functions in two ways: it replaces the paper ….