Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
The doctor-patient dispute has been increasingly prominent in recent years in China. Furthermore, openness in communication is seriously jeopardised by the lack of trust between patients and doctors.
Objectives:
To conduct a survey of the possible factors that cause the tension between patients and doctors; to provide an effective way to encourage shared decision-making between them so as to alleviate the current tense relationship.
Methods:
A survey including 16 items (eight for patients and eight for doctors) was conducted in one of the Level A hospitals in the southwest region of China. A total of 853 questionnaires were provided, 580 for patients and 273 for doctors respectively. Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to perform data extraction and analysis.
Results:
The survey yielded 822 questionnaires with a 96.37% response rate. Most of the patients (93.19%) want doctors to seek their opinions when providing the treatment, while 61.48% of doctors indicated it was difficult to share decision-making with patients. Over half the patients (60.47%) would like to obtain information from doctors, whereas, 52.75% of doctors said that it was difficult to provide patients with high quality and reliable evidence or information. Twenty per cent of the patients were not fully satisfied with the existing treatment, while 63% of doctors indicated that it was difficult to meet patients’ desires. The reasons for the difficulties in communication were mainly about: short communication time (50.48%) and improper communication methods (37.07%). Only 14.61% of doctors said that they had enough time to communicate with patients.
Conclusions:
Lack of openness in communication was identified as a major factor that hindered shared decision-making. A successful bidirectional way of encouraging shared decision-making to alleviate the current tense relationship for both sides is needed.
The doctor-patient dispute has been increasingly prominent in recent years in China. Furthermore, openness in communication is seriously jeopardised by the lack of trust between patients and doctors.
Objectives:
To conduct a survey of the possible factors that cause the tension between patients and doctors; to provide an effective way to encourage shared decision-making between them so as to alleviate the current tense relationship.
Methods:
A survey including 16 items (eight for patients and eight for doctors) was conducted in one of the Level A hospitals in the southwest region of China. A total of 853 questionnaires were provided, 580 for patients and 273 for doctors respectively. Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to perform data extraction and analysis.
Results:
The survey yielded 822 questionnaires with a 96.37% response rate. Most of the patients (93.19%) want doctors to seek their opinions when providing the treatment, while 61.48% of doctors indicated it was difficult to share decision-making with patients. Over half the patients (60.47%) would like to obtain information from doctors, whereas, 52.75% of doctors said that it was difficult to provide patients with high quality and reliable evidence or information. Twenty per cent of the patients were not fully satisfied with the existing treatment, while 63% of doctors indicated that it was difficult to meet patients’ desires. The reasons for the difficulties in communication were mainly about: short communication time (50.48%) and improper communication methods (37.07%). Only 14.61% of doctors said that they had enough time to communicate with patients.
Conclusions:
Lack of openness in communication was identified as a major factor that hindered shared decision-making. A successful bidirectional way of encouraging shared decision-making to alleviate the current tense relationship for both sides is needed.