What makes a good doctor

What defines a good doctor? On the basis of sources such as the British Medical Council and interviews with patients it is possible to divide the qualities needed to be a good doctor in to two categories. The first of these categories involves qualities associated with creating a good doctor-patient relationship. The attributes required for this include good communication skills as well as a caring and polite manner towards patients. The second category involves the …

…relationship and so make the patients stay in hospital more comfortable. There are also clinically relevant qualities such as the knowing the limits of one’s clinical competence. A good doctor should be fluent in both types of quality and use them both in conjunction to provide better care for the patient. For example a good doctor should use his communication skills (quality of the first group) to develop a competent diagnosis ( a clinical skill).