What does patient-centred communication mean in Nepal?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
1BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Kathmandu, Nepal. malnepal@hotmail.com
Objectives:
To ascertain the expectations of Nepalese patients regarding aspects of doctor-patient communication and to review a model of patient-centred care for its appropriateness to Nepalese medical communication training.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey, using an adapted version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), was undertaken with a random sample of patients attending a general outpatients department in rural Nepal. An alternative survey instrument, derived from the PPOS, was also used.
Results:
The following issues were most important to patients: being treated in a friendly and respectful manner; being fully informed, and being given adequate consultation time. Patients were happy for the doctor to be in charge and did not want to seek information outside the doctor's advice. They expressed a strong preference for receiving advice about preventative care. Patient responses were significantly more 'doctor-centred' than those found in comparable studies in the USA.
Discussion:
Patients expressed strong preferences for some aspects of patient-centred communication (PCC), but were not very concerned with sharing power and control. Models of PCC in Nepal require modification to reflect these local preferences. The importance of good communication techniques requires emphasis in clinical training and practice. Methods of disseminating information need to be enhanced in this low-literacy setting.
Related Concept Videos
Patient-centered Care
Communication
Within...
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation
Therapeutic Communication
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...
