This study examines the doctor-patient communication in China through the perspective of patients. Patient satisfaction is an important intermediate outcome of patient-provider encounters, linking face-to-face interactions between patients and medical professionals with patients’ well-being after consultations.

Today, physician review websites provide a new venue for the study of patient satisfaction, as patients are utilizing such websites to evaluate their encounters with physicians. This study examined how parents of pediatric patients in China evaluated their pediatricians and factors associated with patient satisfaction through a qualitative content analysis of reviews (n = 7230) on the “Good Doctor Website” (haodf.com), China’s largest physician review platform.

Three dimensions of patient satisfaction were identified:

1. pediatricians’ interpersonal manners (including friendliness, listening to patients, heartfelt encouragement, and clear explanation)
2. ethics (including rejecting red envelopes and kickbacks and cost awareness)
3. medical competence/overall health outcome.

This study contributes to a culturally sensitive understanding of patient satisfaction and further explains the tense physician-patient relationship in China. Practically, our findings can inform the training of pediatricians in China.

Wu, Q. & Tang, L. (2021). What satisfies parents of pediatric patients in China: A grounded theory building analysis of online doctor’s reviews. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1888437 [Read full text here]