Table 2. Free-text responses to questions about patients’ perceptions of previous negative experiences with physicians (translated into English by the authors).

Category	Example responses	n
Poor medication/ treatment	“Expensive medications as long-term treatment …Not usually interested in the side effects” “Was always treated for a flu-like infection—for 1½ years” “Not up-to-date with the latest medical information” “They didn’t know how CIBD [chronic inflammatory bowel disease] should be treated…sent time and again from one physician to the next”	20
Lack of time	“He never had time (2 minutes at the most)…was always offhand” “Never took time for me…always in a rush and hardly gave me a chance to speak” “It’s not possible for a conversation to develop”	14
Lack of interest; not taken seriously	“Aren’t interested in the patients‘ suffering” “Didn’t take me seriously as a patient … my personal, familial environment was ignored” “Portrayed me as a hypochondriac”	11
Too little information	“Told me I have CD [Crohn’s disease] and then sent me home without giving me any more information” “Physicians don’t give you information about the disease” “Information about Crohn’s disease was poor or sometimes even wrong”	7
Not very empathic	“Very unfriendly and not at all empathic” “Wasn’t considerate during examinations, for example; worries, feelings of embarrassment etc. were ignored” “Weren’t empathic and got examinations over with as quickly as possible”	6
Does not listen	“Didn’t really listen”	4
Change of physician	“CIBD clinic…have to tell everything from the beginning every time” “As soon as I’d got used to a physician … I’m asked to look for another one” “Substitute physicians in a CIBD clinic … don’t know patient and course of illness”	3
Waiting times	“No timely appointments” “Several patients for one appointment time, have to wait for hours”	2
Comprehensibility	“Couldn’t explain anything … threw Latin medical terms around”	1
Miscellaneous	“Past: often very negative” “It was like being in Kindergarten” “Completely dissatisfied” “In 60 years one has all kinds of experiences”	1