Doctor-Patient Communication and Interaction Patterns in Healthcare Settings

Abstract

Healthcare settings are necessary to facilitate sustained growth and development. This occurs based on meeting man’s health needs. The tendency to which man can satisfy her health needs is dependent on effective communication between the healthcare professional otherwise called the doctor who interacts with the clients for the purpose of not just monetary incentives but also for the purpose of restoring the client from the state of maladjustment to a state of adjustment. The communication process between the doctor and the patient must take a dynamic position if the idea of healthcare is to be regarded as qualitative and effectual. The communication patterns between the doctor and patient must be devoid of prejudice whereby only the wealthy patient gets the best of healthcare compared to those who are not wealthy. The objectives of this study are to examine the principles of doctor-patient communication, to examine the practices of doctor-patient communication, to examine the skills employed by doctors to interact with their patients and to also examine the challenges or limitations of the communication patterns between doctors and their patients within the African context. The methodology to be employed for this study would be secondary data obtained from past literature. The data would be obtained from the works of scholars who have given accounts about doctor-patients communication patterns. This data would be reflected in the light of theoretical foundations explicating the entire study. Conclusions and recommendations would be made, and this would serve as the framework for policy making for effective communication.