Models of socio-professional doctor-patient interaction: possibilities of communication management in medicine

The article describes the role of communication between the doctor and the patient in the process of healthcare delivery, the importance of such an indicator as patient satisfaction with the administering medical aid as a social institution of Healthcare Service. Based on the analysis of theoretical and practical studies of specialists using the theory of transactional analysis, the typology of models of interaction of the “doctor - patient” format is supplemented, structured and presented: the models “activity - passivity”, “leadership - cooperation”, “mutual participation”, “client - performer” are allocated. The characteristics of these models are given, the roles of the doctor and the patient are disclosed in terms of the conditions of interaction, the existing social attitudes as well as the habitual social roles, and the recommended areas of clinical practice for the effective application of each of them are highlighted. The distribution of responsibility between the participants of interaction in the models under consideration is described. Models of communication typical for Western and Eastern societies are mentioned. The conclusion is that the presented typology can be useful for a medical organization to choose the type of interaction with patients.