Patients’ Expectations as to Doctors’ Behaviors During Appointed Visits

ABSTRACT

Numerous guidelines for students and medical professionals provide the instructions of proper behavior during encounters with patients in a doctor’s office. However, they quite often do not consider cultural differences that may affect the doctor–patient relationship. In our study we analyzed Polish patients’ expectations (N = 976) for their physicians’ actual behavior. We compared our results with analogue studies performed in the United States. We determined that patient expectations concerning a desirable form of verbal and nonverbal communication with a physician vary to a considerable degree. Relatively universal, however, is the wish that the doctors introduce themselves and apply personalized forms of contact.