AUTHOR
Sheila Marie Quiachon-Hernandez, MD, FPCP, MHPEd
KEYWORDS:
doctor-patient relationship, patient’s percetption, alphabiography
ABSTRACT
The patient-doctor relationship is one of the most important aspects of health and illness as it can facilitate the implementation of a medical plan of curing, caring, and rehabilitation. Conducted in a local private hospital among patients admitted from June to July 20211, the study soght to describe the patients’ perception of doctor-patient relationship in terms of their definition and experiences. In particular, the interpersonal skills of the doctor were described with emphasis on certain aspects, such as the amount of contact, comprehensiveness, patient participation, trust, and intensity. Sutdy participants were delimited to twelve purposively selected patients whose ages ranged form 18 to 70. Results obtained from a guided interveiw tool revealed that the majority of the patients perceived the relationship as a responsibility of the doctor and was influenced not only by the time the doctor would spend in the patient’s room, but also in terms of comprehensiveness conveyed through good communication skills. Implications on the need of medical education curriculum to be supplemented with training in other fields were discussed. The findings emphasize the importance of inculcating of reflective thought and critical analysis for a more holistic medical education.