Identifying professional characteristics of the ideal medical doctor: the laddering technique.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to examine the utility of the laddering interview technique to investigate complex issues in medical education, such as professionalism.


METHODS
The laddering technique was used to identify examples of professional behaviour associated with the ideal medical doctor, and to explain why participants thought these behaviours were important. Three groups were interviewed: doctors (n = 30), first-year medical students (n = 31) and patients (n = 33).


RESULTS
All groups identified characteristics associated with a 'communication and interpersonal skills' theme. Data suggested the essence of the doctor-patient interaction was shared by the groups, with varying later emphases due to their different perspectives. Additionally, Doctors and Students generated characteristics associated with 'team-working' and 'competence' themes; Doctors' conceptualization of each theme was more detailed. Positive and negative impacts of Doctor's professional behaviour on the patient, doctor and the wider medical arena were also identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of laddering resulted in data-rich results for each of the three stakeholder groups, illustrating shared and divergent preferences as to the preferred characteristics of a medical doctor and effects of successful and less-successful doctor-patient interactions. The identified characteristics are relevant to the area under investigation and salient to these key stakeholders.
Miles
Susan
S
School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. susan.miles@uea.ac.uk
Leinster
Sam J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001519:Behavior; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010361:Patients; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult