Last update:
   14-Jan-2025
 

Arch Hellen Med, 42(1), January-February 2025, 71-76

ORIGINAL PAPER

Long-term doctor-patient relationship in rheumatology
A qualitative study

P. Tsatsani,1,2 A. Goula,2 S. Soulis2
1Department of Rheumatology, "KAT" General Hospital of Athens, Athens
2Department of Business Administration, Sector of Social Policy, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE A better understanding of the doctor-patient relationship in rheumatology and whether a long-term relationship can be an essential factor for the success of treatment and of a better quality of life in the dimension of physical role and the dimension of social functioning.

METHOD A qualitative study with the structured interview as the method for data collection. The questions used were 10 open questions, which allowed the interviewees to express their thoughts and feelings, written in understandable language and in a specific order each. In this study the sample consisted of 15 patients with chronic rheumatic disease. Further analysis of the interview transcripts separated responses of doctor-patient's relationship duration into 0-10 years, 2-5 years, 10 years and above. The subsequent analysis investigated the existence of statistically significant differences between the categories of duration of relationship with the doctor of the patients participating in the study, for physical functioning, physical role, emotional role, and social functioning.

RESULTS Patients, regardless of the length of their relationship with their doctor, believed that the doctor-patient relationship affects their health status. The main results that came out of the analysis of the interview data were that patients with a longer relationship with their doctor believed that (a) this relationship had a positive effect on their therapeutic effect, (b) the doctor-patient relationship was a factor in their quality of life, (c) the relationship with their doctor influenced medication and (d) the relationship with their doctor contributed positively to the symptoms of their disease and to their daily lives.

CONCLUSIONS The analysis showed that the long-term relationship with the doctor positively influences health status, treatment outcome, quality of life, outcome of medication and symptoms of rheumatic diseases.

Key words: Health status, Long-term relationship, Quality of life, Symptoms, Treatment outcome.

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