Social and role determination of professional communication in medicine

Objective: to define influence of patient's expectations and physician's role behavior on character and satisfaction with communicative process. Material and methods. The survey of physicians (Л/=232) and patients (Л/=255) was carried out by means of the authorized questionnaires. The questionnaire for doctors was aimed to identify segments of a doctor's professional activity in terms of fulfilling a given social role. The questionnaire for patients made it possible to obtain data on how stable ideas about the "titular" professional qualities of a doctor influence the nature of communication in therapeutic process. Results. It was revealed that the effectiveness of communication process between a physician and a patient was determined by: trust in doctors (88.2%); high stress level of practitioners (69.4%); time allotted for patient's reception (51.7%); level of patient's perception of medical information (42%). The predominantly conflict-free course of the communicative process is noted (62.7%). The most attractive qualities of a physician from patients'viewpoint were described: clarity and completeness of provided information (100%); respectful assessment of personality (62.7%); conflict-free (62.7%); tolerance (74.5%); openness (62.7%); support (62.7%). Conclusion. There were differences in choosing the model of interaction between a physician and a patient. Increase of practitioners' status as a condition and consequence of communication with patients was differentiated by physicians as a need for legal protection of professional activity, a decent pension, an enhance of doctor's professional prestige, and an improvement of working conditions; patients determined it as physicians' adherence to ethical standards in communicating with patients, increase of doctor's professionalism.