Critical physician behaviors in the formation of a good physician-patient relationship: concept mapping the perspective of patients with chronic conditions

Objective: A robust physician-patient relationship has been linked to better health outcomes for a range of chronic conditions. Our study aimed to identify physician behaviors patients consider contribute to good physician-patient relationships. Method: Fifty patients with a chronic condition and a self-reported good physician-patient relationship were interviewed using the Critical Incidents technique and asked to describe observable behaviors that contributed to their good physician-patient relationship. A sub-sample of 30 participants rated the importance of each behavior and sorted them into self-labelled, mutually exclusive, and conceptually homogenous categories. Multivariate concept mapping with hierarchal cluster analysis was performed. Results: Patients reported 65 behaviors, which were grouped into six overarching domains: valuing the whole person, investigation and future planning, collaboration and empowerment, validation and emotional support, politeness and courtesy, and professionalism. Conclusion: Results indicate patients with chronic conditions have a broader conceptualization and identified additional behaviors that reflect components of the physician-patient relationship than has been identified in researcher and practitioner based models. Practice implications: Practitioners could utilize these concrete behaviors when forming relationships with their patients. These behaviors could also be incorporated into a tool designed to teach and assess the physician-patient relationship.