Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor”
Since physician–patient relationships are a central part of the medical practice, it is essential to understand whether physicians and the general public share the same perspective on traits defining a “good doctor”. Our study compared the perceptions of physicians and members of the public on the e...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/73 |
| _version_ | 1797493723583479808 |
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| author | Keren Dopelt Yaacov G. Bachner Jacob Urkin Zehava Yahav Nadav Davidovitch Paul Barach |
| author_facet | Keren Dopelt Yaacov G. Bachner Jacob Urkin Zehava Yahav Nadav Davidovitch Paul Barach |
| author_sort | Keren Dopelt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since physician–patient relationships are a central part of the medical practice, it is essential to understand whether physicians and the general public share the same perspective on traits defining a “good doctor”. Our study compared the perceptions of physicians and members of the public on the essential traits of a “good doctor.” We conducted parallel surveys of 1000 practicing specialist-physicians, and 500 members of the public in Israel. Respondents were asked about the two most important attributes of a “good doctor” and whether they thought the physicians’ role was to reduce health disparities. Many physicians (56%) and members of the public (48%) reported that the role of physicians includes helping to reduce health disparities. Physicians emphasized the importance of non-technical skills such as humaneness and concern for patients as important traits of a “good doctor,” while the public emphasized professional and technical skills. Internal medicine physicians were more likely than surgeons to emphasize humaneness, empathy, and professionalism. Future research should focus on actionable approaches to bridge the gap in the perceptions between the groups, and that may support the formation of caring physicians embedded in a complex array of relationships within clinical and community contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab852e346fc7407d93cf0dafb7e96f9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:24:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab852e346fc7407d93cf0dafb7e96f9c2023-11-23T13:55:16ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322021-12-011017310.3390/healthcare10010073Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor”Keren Dopelt0Yaacov G. Bachner1Jacob Urkin2Zehava Yahav3Nadav Davidovitch4Paul Barach5Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ben Tzvi St. 12, Ashkelon 78211, IsraelSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, IsraelSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, IsraelSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, IsraelSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, IsraelDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Jefferson College of Population Health, Wayne State University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USASince physician–patient relationships are a central part of the medical practice, it is essential to understand whether physicians and the general public share the same perspective on traits defining a “good doctor”. Our study compared the perceptions of physicians and members of the public on the essential traits of a “good doctor.” We conducted parallel surveys of 1000 practicing specialist-physicians, and 500 members of the public in Israel. Respondents were asked about the two most important attributes of a “good doctor” and whether they thought the physicians’ role was to reduce health disparities. Many physicians (56%) and members of the public (48%) reported that the role of physicians includes helping to reduce health disparities. Physicians emphasized the importance of non-technical skills such as humaneness and concern for patients as important traits of a “good doctor,” while the public emphasized professional and technical skills. Internal medicine physicians were more likely than surgeons to emphasize humaneness, empathy, and professionalism. Future research should focus on actionable approaches to bridge the gap in the perceptions between the groups, and that may support the formation of caring physicians embedded in a complex array of relationships within clinical and community contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/73traits of a “good doctor”technical skillsinterpersonal skillsmedical educationpatient-centered care |
| spellingShingle | Keren Dopelt Yaacov G. Bachner Jacob Urkin Zehava Yahav Nadav Davidovitch Paul Barach Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” Healthcare traits of a “good doctor” technical skills interpersonal skills medical education patient-centered care |
| title | Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” |
| title_full | Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” |
| title_short | Perceptions of Practicing Physicians and Members of the Public on the Attributes of a “Good Doctor” |
| title_sort | perceptions of practicing physicians and members of the public on the attributes of a good doctor |
| topic | traits of a “good doctor” technical skills interpersonal skills medical education patient-centered care |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/1/73 |
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