Kalimullina I.R., Pyrkova K.V., Akberova A.A. Aspects of a Physician’s Communication Skills (Analyzing Feedback from Medical Review Platforms)

Relevance. According to a study by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (2017), positive associations evoked by the word “doctor” include “treatment, medicine”, “health”, “help”, “salvation”, “hope”, “kindness”, “attentiveness”, and so on. At the same time, doctors are more frequently associated with negative connotations such as “distrust”, “dissatisfaction”, “indifference, a poor attitude toward patients”, and others compared to other medical professionals. The shift in the paradigm of healthcare delivery implies moving beyond clinical interventions alone and adopting a personalized (patient/client-centered) approach within the biopsychosocial model, aiming to “treat not the disease but the patient”.

Objective. To study the features of a doctor's communicative competence.

Methods. Surveying, content analysis (analysis of reviews from specialized medical websites).

Results. The two-stage study yielded data highlighting the high importance of professional medical communication in doctor-patient interactions. Based on the survey analysis, key patient expectations from doctor-patient communication were identified: the doctor's willingness to understand the problem and help, politeness and friendliness, as well as a respectful attitude and active listening skills. An analysis of reviews about medical professionals from the feedback platform “ProDoctors” revealed common communication errors among doctors of various specialties and experience levels. A list of criteria for effective communication was compiled: interest in the patient, approachability and friendliness, non-confrontational behavior, empathy and respect, active listening, clear, understandable, and sufficient provision of information, and a personalized (individualized) approach.

Key words: Doctor's communicative competence, effective communication, communication errors, patient expectations

For citation: Kalimullina, I.R., Pyrkova, K.V., Akberova, A.A. (2025). Aspects of a Physician’s Communication Skills (Analyzing Feedback from Medical Review Platforms). New Psychological Research, No. 3, 170–181. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2025_05_03_08