Socio-demographic characteristics of patients
140 forms were distributed and 125 patients completed the questionnaire. 68.8% lived in the Mount-Lebanon area, the governorate that includes the highest number of inhabitants. Table 1 summarizes their general characteristics. Their mean age was 48 ± 16.76 years, varying between 19 and 85 years. 56% were female and 44% were male. 68.8% went to college and 61.6% worked. Regarding their treating physicians, 74.4% had a physician of male gender, 68.8% were indifferent regarding the gender of their physician and the majority of them (70.4%) had a preference for a 40- to 60-year-old doctor. 61.6% consulted their physician more than once a year.
Smile importance scored 8.5/10. There was no significant difference between men and women (p=0.66) or between two groups of age <48 y and ³48 y (p=0.66).
Table 1. General characteristics of the 125 patients
|
Total n=125
|
Age (years),
Mean ± SD
Median (IQR)
|
48 ±17
46 (35, 60)
|
Sex (M/F)
|
55 / 70
|
College (%)
|
68.8 %
|
Work (%)
|
61.6 %
|
Treating physician’s sex (M/F)
|
93 / 32
|
Age of treating physician,
Mean ± SD
Median (IQR)
|
49 ± 9
50 (40, 55)
|
Preference for a physician’s sex Male / Female / Neutral
|
24 /15 / 86
|
Preference for a physician’s age (<40 years / 40-60 years / >60 years / Neutral)
|
9 / 88 / 3 / 25
|
Number of consultations per year (£1 / >1)
|
48 / 77
|
Classification of the 7 competencies from the most to the least important
When classifying the 7 competencies by order of priority (Table 2), the majority opted for the medical expertise as their first choice (74.4%) and less than the half (48.8%) put the communication as second. Then followed the health advocate role (41.6% put it third), the collaborator (36.3% put it fourth), the professional (35.2% put it fifth), the leader (52% put it sixth) and the scholar (52% put it seventh).
Table 2. Classification of competencies in order of priority as perceived by patients
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
First choice
|
n
|
93
|
16
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
%
|
74.4%
|
12.8%
|
2.4%
|
3.2%
|
4.0%
|
1.6%
|
1.6%
|
Second choice
|
n
|
19
|
61
|
12
|
6
|
22
|
2
|
3
|
%
|
15.2%
|
48.8%
|
9.6%
|
4.8%
|
17.6%
|
1.6%
|
2.4%
|
Third choice
|
n
|
3
|
18
|
52
|
25
|
18
|
3
|
6
|
%
|
2.4%
|
14.4%
|
41.6%
|
20.0%
|
14.4%
|
2.4%
|
4.8%
|
Fourth choice
|
n
|
2
|
14
|
12
|
45
|
25
|
13
|
13
|
%
|
1.6%
|
11.3%
|
9.7%
|
36.3%
|
20.2%
|
10.5%
|
10.5%
|
Fifth choice
|
n
|
0
|
9
|
17
|
19
|
44
|
19
|
17
|
%
|
.0%
|
7.2%
|
13.6%
|
15.2%
|
35.2%
|
15.2%
|
13.6%
|
Sixth choice
|
n
|
3
|
4
|
19
|
7
|
8
|
65
|
19
|
%
|
2.4%
|
3.2%
|
15.2%
|
5.6%
|
6.4%
|
52.0%
|
15.2%
|
Seventh choice
|
n
|
5
|
3
|
10
|
18
|
3
|
21
|
65
|
%
|
4.0%
|
2.4%
|
8.0%
|
14.4%
|
2.4%
|
16.8%
|
52.0%
|
A, Medical Expert; B, Communicator; C, Health Advocate; D, Collaborator; E, Professional; F, Leader; G, Scholar.
Prioritization of sub-elements within each of the 7 competencies
A. Medical expertise: 56.8% of patients set as a priority the sub-element of clinical competence and expertise of the physician (Table S1).
B. Communication: 36% preferred a doctor who listens to the patient (Table S2).
C. Health advocate: 76.8% put a high weight on the work done with patients rather than with community for prevention and awareness (Table S3).
D. Collaborator: 47.2% highlighted the skills of a physician capable of transferring the patient to another specialist (Table S4).
E. Professional: 56% mentioned mostly the ethics of the physicians (Table S5).
F. Leader: 30.4% chose the management of resources (Table S6).
G. Scholar: 44.8% emphasized the continuing education of physicians (Table S7).
Krippendorff’s coefficient for evaluation of the reliability of choices
We found a moderate agreement for the total 7 dimensions (A to G), a weak agreement for A, C and E and a null agreement for B, D, F and G (Table 3).
Table 3. Krippendorff’s coefficient for evaluation of the reliability of choices
|
|
Alpha coefficient
|
LL95%CI
|
UL95%CI
|
Units
|
Observers
|
Pairs
|
7 dimensions
|
|
0.4473
|
0.3954
|
0.4946
|
7
|
125
|
54126
|
Choice A
|
|
0.2312
|
0.1462
|
0.3195
|
5
|
125
|
38750
|
Choice B
|
|
0.0673
|
-0.0312
|
0.1622
|
5
|
125
|
38750
|
Choice C
|
|
0.2844
|
0.1036
|
0.4821
|
2
|
125
|
15500
|
Choice D
|
|
0.0298
|
-0.1237
|
0.1988
|
3
|
125
|
23250
|
Choice E
|
|
0.2848
|
0.1826
|
0.3782
|
4
|
125
|
31000
|
Choice F
|
|
0.0065
|
-0.1118
|
0.1238
|
4
|
125
|
31000
|
Choice G
|
|
0.0586
|
-0.0549
|
0.1597
|
4
|
125
|
31000
|
Krippendorff’s alpha coefficient =1 depicts high reliability and coefficient=0.0000 a null reliability; LL95%CI, lower limit of the 95% confidence interval; UL95%CI, higher limit of the 95% confidence interval;
A, Medical Expert; B, Communicator; C, Health Advocate; D, Collaborator; E, Professional; F, Leader; G, Scholar.
Open-ended questions: how do you define the “good doctor” and the “bad doctor”?
In the open-ended questions, patients defined the competent doctor in 185 answers and the non-competent one in 140 answers. A total of 325 answers were reported where three CanMEDS roles were mostly highlighted (Figure 1): 64.3% of the patients mentioned features of the medical expert, 34.1% emphasized the high ethical attitude and 26.2% pointed out to communication. Just a small number of patients mentioned the scholar role and none the heath advocate.
In the group of patients who cited the medical expert characteristics, their mean age was 47.7 ± 17.6 years, 64.2% worked, 50.6% were males, 67.9% went to college, 39.5% defined a good or bad doctor based on “the right diagnosis” and 28.4% of them based on “the right treatment”.
In the group of patients who cited communication skills, their mean age was 46.2 ± 16.7 years, 75.8% worked, 57.6% were females, 78.8% went to college, 63.6% highlighted the physician’s listening skills and 48.5% wanted a physician who explains.
In the group of patients who cited the professionalism, their mean age was 47.8 ± 16.8 years, 67.4% worked, 53.5% were females, 74.4% went to college, 41.9% emphasized the doctor’s empathy, 30.2% feared neglect and lack of care, 23.3% claimed respect et 16% humanity.
In the group of patients who cited the high self-confident doctor (15% of patients), their mean age was 43.6 ± 17.3 years, 73.7% worked, 57.9% were females, 84.2% went to college, and no difference was depicted between men and women.
When mentioning the leadership skill, patients exclusively tackled the management of poor resources where patients see the good doctor as the one who provides the best quality of care with the minimum of tests (12.7%).
Comparisons based on gender and age
Based on the open-ended questions, men slightly surpassed women in citing the role of medical expert (p=0.043). No significant difference was noted in the age between those prioritizing a competency and those not.