Patient-Centered Communication in Hong Kong

Abstract

Participants in Hong Kong viewed pairs of doctor-patient interviews, each pair with 1 doctor-centered and 1 patient-centered interview. They evaluated each doctor and selected 1 doctor of the pair they would prefer for themselves and family members. Seventy-eight percent preferred the patient-centered physician. When the evaluations were compared, participants rated the patient-centered doctor in the pair significantly higher than the doctor-centered doctor on 31 of 32 behaviors. Patient-centered doctors were rated significantly higher on all 6 subscales assessing differing dimensions of doctor behavior. When given the choice, Hong Kong patients strongly preferred the patient-centered interviewing style despite a health care system that is strongly doctor centered.