COMPONENTS OF PATIENTS AND DOCTORS PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE DURING A PRIMARY-CARE MEDICAL INTERVIEW

Although considerable attention has been given to doctor-patient commu nication, relatively little research on this topic is grounded in theo ry. Some scholars have suggested that the concept of communication com petence may serve as a useful theoretical framework for future researc h into doctor-patient communication. The purpose of this article was t o identify components of doctors' and patients' communicative competen ce during a primary care medical interview. Doctors and patients were asked to rate self- and other-competence and to identify what particul ar behaviors led them to their judgments. The behavior descriptions we re content analyzed to determine the components of competence assessme nts. The results suggest that information exchange and relational deve lopment comprise most of the behaviors doctors and patients identify w ith judgments of communication competence. However, additional data in dicate that information exchange concerns are dominant on the part of both doctors' and patients' perceptions of self- and other-competence. In addition, doctors and patients agree that the onus of relational w ork during the medical interview is assumed to fall on the doctors' sh oulders.