Satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the physician-patient relations

Abstract

This study presents some results obtained in a research about sociological aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, taking in account the present or potential patient's point of view. Specifically, it aims to analyse the influence of some basic variables as age, sex and socioeconomic level on some aspects of the doctor-patient relationship: what symptoms determine that a patient calls a physician, how a patient chooses a doctor, what are the reasons to be satisfied or unsatisfied with a doctor's performance and in what kind of situation a patient does not call a doctor. For that purpose a sample group of 302 subjects was given a questionnaire of 35 items built by the author. The answers obtained in this research show the importance of socioeconomic level over the doctor-patient relationship, which agrees with the sociological literature consulted.