Table 2.

Critical components of communication in physician-patient relationship.

Theme	Category	Sub-Category	Sub-Sub Category
Professionalism	Physician’s and patient’s attitudes	Friendly Polite Respect Honest Empathy	-
	Physician’s communication skill	Address patient and relative appropriately	-
		Use open-ended questions	-
		Agreement of patients’ privacy and confidentiality	-
		Understand patients’ and relatives’ facial expressions	-
		Promote patients’ and relatives’ comprehension	Identify the patients’ and relatives’ understanding Allow time for comprehension
		Build rapport	Identify the background of the patient and relatives Smile
	Physician’s clinical skill	Highly competent Obtain a thorough patient history	-
Content of communication	Coverage	Management and compliance Treatment and side effects Advice and counselling Prognosis	-
	Quantity of information	Sufficient information	-
Verbal communication skill	Language	Use preferred language	-
	Terms	Use layman and simple terms	-
	Listening skill	Listen attentively	-
Non-verbal communication skill	Eye contact	Good eye contact	-
	Facial expression	Appropriate facial expression	-
	Body language	Maintain appropriate body language	-
	Body movement	Demonstrate using hands or body movement	-
Paraverbal communication skill	Tone of voice	Use a soft tone	-
	Pace of voice	Maintain a proper pace	-
Environment	Consultation room environment	Private and confidential	-
	Consultation room layout	Appropriate distance	-
Visual communication	Use visual elements	Explain using external sources	-