Perception of patients with chronic respiratory disorders regarding doctor-patient communication at a tertiary care hospital

It is believed that doctor-patient relationship is an important determinant in patient’s adherence to the treatment. The doctor-patient relationship can be seen as the perception of the patient concerning shown by the doctor, and the attitude and behaviour of the doctor towards the patient. For management of chronic illness where patient adherence to treatment is challenging, good doctor patient communication is very essential. This study was planned to assess the doctor patient communication status, effectiveness and patient satisfaction resulting after consultation with the doctor in a tertiary care setting. This study aims to assess the doctor-patient communication status, patient satisfaction level and identify the factors affecting the communication with the patients. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire based analytical study. The questionnaire mainly included various questions to assess the patient satisfaction in terms of time spent by doctor during visit, examination performed, discussion on treatment plan, medication dosage and side effects explained, response to patient questions and concern and overall satisfaction of the site visit. The study population included patients of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and bronchial asthma attending the outpatient departments of Medicine and Respiratory Medicine of a tertiary care hospital. Total 70 patients had filled the questionnaire and all of them were satisfied with their visit with attending physician in OPD. Age, education level and income class affect the satisfaction score of participants. Overall the study showed a good level of satisfaction of patients with services obtained from this tertiary care centre. Physician can improve the doctor-patient communication by empathising with the patients and rendering them sufficient time to explain the treatment regimens.