Graduates' preparedness for the changing doctor-patient relationship: A qualitative study

A positive doctor-patient relationship is a crucial part of high-quality patient care. There is a general perception that it has been changing in recent years; however, there is a lack of evidence for this. Adapting to the changing doctor-patient relationship has been identified as an important skill doctors of the future must possess. This study explores (1) multiple stakeholder perspectives on how the doctor-patient relationship is changing and (2) in what ways medical graduates are prepared for working in this changing doctor-patient relationship.

We conducted a national qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with multiple stakeholders across the United Kingdom. Interviews lasting 45-60 minutes were conducted with 67 stakeholders including doctors in the first 2 years of practice (ECD's), patient representatives, supervisors, deans, medical educators and other health care professionals. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed, analysed, coded in NVivo and analysed thematically using a Thematic Framework Analysis approach.

The main ways the doctor-patient relationship was perceived to be changing related to increased shared decision making and patients having increasing access to information. Communication, patient-centred care and fostering empowerment, were the skills identified as being crucial for preparedness to work in the changing doctor-patient relationship. Graduates were reported to be typically well-prepared for the preconditions (communication and delivering patient-centred care) of patient empowerment, but that more work is needed to achieve true patient empowerment.

This study offers a conceptual advance by identifying how the doctor-patient relationship is changing particularly around the 'patient-as-knowledge-source' dimension. On the whole ECD's are well-prepared for working in the changing doctor-patient relationship with the exception of patient empowerment skills. Further research is now needed to provide an in-depth understanding of patient empowerment that is shared among key stakeholders (particularly the patient perspective) and to underpin the design of educational interventions appropriate to career stage.