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What are the qualities of a Good Doctor?

Here are the seven traits listed by the patients, along with the patients' definitions of those traits:

Confident: "The doctor's confidence gives me confidence."
Empathetic: "The doctor tries to understand what I am feeling and experiencing, physically and emotionally, and communicates that understanding to me."
Humane: "The doctor is caring, compassionate, and kind."
Personal: "The doctor is interested in me more than just as a patient, interacts with me, and remembers me as an individual."
Forthright: "The doctor tells me what I need to know in plain language and in a forthright manner."
Respectful: "The doctor takes my input seriously and works with me."
Thorough: "The doctor is conscientious and persistent."

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dr.Murali Krishna on May 26, 2013 at 8:53am

"Doctors have the enormous privilege of touching and changing lives. Through all the changes driven by research and public expectations, some of the art and science of medicine has endured down the ages and defines medicine as a profession, whatever a doctor's area of practice. Doctors:

synthesise conflicting and incomplete information to reach a diagnosis;
deal with uncertainty - protocols are great, but doctors often must work off-protocol in the best interests of the patient, for example when the best treatment for one condition may make a co-existing condition worse;
manage risk - many patients are alive today because doctors took risks and as doctors we bring all our professional experience to bear on knowing when acceptable, informed and carefully considered risk ends and recklessness begins - and we share that information openly and honestly with our patients, always respecting that the final decision is theirs;
recognise that change both in medicine and society is constant, ensuring that those standards which are immutable are preserved while those that are simply a product of their time are consigned to history
carry and accept ultimate responsibility for our actions.

Those of us who practise and teach medicine now are merely the custodians of those core values which were passed on to us by earlier generations and which we in turn will pass on to those who come after us. It is these values and these qualities which define a good doctor: they are timeless and long may they remain so."

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Preity on May 26, 2013 at 8:54am

"To me and my patients I have always found the following qualities essential ingredients for the making of a good doctor:

Approachable, confident, decisive, intelligent, interested, compassionate and caring - being able to absorb people's pain and anxieties without losing focus, treating patients as a human being rather than a symptom or collection of symptoms. Their integrity is without question.
Takes time to listen and communicate honestly and effectively with patients, relatives, staff teams, managers, peers and dignitaries pitched at the appropriate level whilst putting everyone at ease.
Respect for everyone's capabilities and their contribution to the team. Knowing everyone's name in the team regardless of their position. Being fair and non-judgmental.
Having technical skills, being competent, knowledgeable using evidence based practice. The ability to remain calm and proficient when under pressure and still make clear and timely decisions.
Inspiring, always learning and teaching without fear of humiliation, lead and train the team as a team.
Trustworthy, loyal, dedicated, thorough, a mentor, reliable, respected rather than revered and dedicated to up holding their Hippocratic Oath.
A visionary leader who is confident about their standards and stands firm to up hold their and the team's values and beliefs.

A great doctor knows and remembers his/her patients and treats them with a kind heart and gentle hands as if they were one of their own family, dedicating their working life of service to creating and preserving health."