Table 4.

Patterns in patient comments about the dimensions of doctor-patient interaction

Categories	Frequency of reportage by patients in categoriesa (n = 186)
	n	Satisfactory Remarks	Undecided/don’t know	Unsatisfactory Remarks
Technical expertise	46	5	31	10
Accuracy of diagnosis		1	4	7
Physical examination		4	3	10
Laboratory Tests		0	27	7
Effective treatment		3	2	4
Experience of doctors		1	19	9
Time dimension	38	11	–	27
Waiting time		8	–	23
Meeting interval		11	–	25
Interpersonal aspects	86	22	19	45
Friendliness		16	13	29
Feel for patient		15	9	21
Revealing disgust for unclean		–	–	39
Insulting remarks	37	22b	–	15c
Privacy		18	–	–
External interruption		13	–	5
Personal support		18	–	32
Communication	94	29	12	53
Explained about:
Medical problem		11	9	42
Treatment plan		18	–	38
Risk factors & preventive measures		–	–	51
Information sharing
History Taking		9	–	–
Health awareness		–	12	19
Hygiene		–	12	3
Unnecessary risk exposure		16	8	–
Answering patient’s queries		7	–	35
Listening		10	11	21
Access/availability	48	9	15	24
In-training Doctors		7d	10	22
Inability to consult the same doctor in repeated visits		–	–	24
Specialist doctors		9	13	–
Availability in clinic		8	15	21
Approachability of patients		6	–	21
Others	31	–	–	31
Paramedical staff behavior				26
Documentation prior to medical care				29
Availability of free medicine				31
Reliability of diagnostic facilities				24

^aThe frequency count is in accordance with the patients’ comments on more than one category of technical expertise

^bTolerant satisfied/Tolerant dissatisfied

^cIntolerant satisfied/Intolerant dissatisfied

^dPatient words: “They know that’s why sit in this large hospital”