The good Indian doctor: People’s perspectives

Background The doctor-patient relationship is an important component of modern medicine. It is essenstial to respect the patient's views while also conveying the appropriate treatment protocols to them. We aimed to determine the characteristics that the general public in India considers important in a 'Good doctor' who would treat them or a member of their family. Methods We did a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study including 402 participants. The questionnaire consisted of 21 physicians' characteristics, with 7 characteristics in each of 3 domains: professional expertise, humanism, and autonomy. Participants were asked to select 4 qualities they valued most. Descriptive statistics were calculated and summarized. Categorical variables were analysed using the Chi-square test. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results The majority of patients (273) wanted their doctor to provide a clear explanation of their disease, while 218 patients wanted their doctor to be honest about their illness. The most commonly preferred domain was autonomy (84.3%), 75.1% chose humanism as the preferred characteristic while 74.6% favoured professional expertise. Conclusion The growing exposure to health education has changed people's perceptions from 'only doctors decision' to 'shared decision-making'. Open and transparent communication with patients reinforces trust in the doctor- patient relationship and must go hand in hand with humanism and professional competence.