AlFaris, Eiad and Irfan, Farhana and Abouammoh, Noura and Zakaria, Nasriah and Ahmed, Abdullah M. A. and Kasule, Omar and Aldosari, Dina M. and AlSahli, Nora A. and Alshibani, Mohammed Ghatar and Ponnamperuma, Gominda (2023) Physicians' professionalism from the patients' perspective: A qualitative study at a single-family practice in Saudi Arabia. BMC Medical Ethics, 24 (1). ISSN 1472-6939, DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-023-00918-9.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
IntroductionProfessionalism is a crucial component of medical practice. It is a culturally sensitive notion that generally consists of behaviors, values, communication, and relationships. This study is a qualitative study exploring physician professionalism from the patients' perspective.MethodsFocus group discussions with patients attending a family medicine center attached to a tertiary care hospital were carried out using the four gates model of Arabian medical professionalism that is appropriate to Arab culture. Discussions with patients were recorded and transcribed. Data were thematically analyzed using NVivo software.ResultsThree main themes emerged from the data. (1) In dealing with patients, participants expected respect but understood delays in seeing physicians due to their busy schedules. In communication, participants expected to be informed about their health conditions and to have their questions answered. (2) In dealing with tasks, participants expected proper examination and transparency of diagnosis, but some expected the physician to know everything and did not appreciate them seeking outside opinions. They expected to see the same physician at every visit. (3) In physician characteristics preferences, participants preferred friendly smiling physicians. Some cared about the outer appearance of the physician whereas others did not.Discussion/conclusionsThe findings of the study explained only two themes of the four gates model namely dealing with patients and dealing with tasks. Cultural competence and how to benefit from patients' perceptions to be an ideal physician should be incorporated into the process of physicians' training.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Physician professionalism; Patient perceptions; Patient satisfaction; Qualitative study |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > R Medicine (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Medicine |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Oct 2025 04:19 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Oct 2025 04:21 |
| URI: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/50273 |
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