Do Physicians' Behaviors Matter for Patients With Chronic Diabetes and Hypertension? A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Patients' Lived Experiences in the Bangladeshi Healthcare Landscape.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In resource-constrained countries like Bangladesh, healthcare consultation practices are often rushed, and the perceived effects of physicians' behaviors and physician-patient relationship remain overlooked, yet these subtle relational exchanges can profoundly influence outcomes in chronic conditions. The present study therefore aimed at understanding how patients' experiences of physicians' behaviors and physician-patient relationship influenced patients with chronic diabetes and hypertension in the context of Bangladeshi healthcare settings.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive approach was used, employing in-depth interview in data collection, with 24 adult inpatients admitted to a public tertiary hospital in Dhaka between October and November 2024. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo to analyze study data.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that perceived inappropriate behaviors of the physicians affected diabetes and hypertensive patients' emotional state, while inattentive listening contributed to medication non-adherence. However, motivation and support provided by the physicians helped the patients build self-confidence, while physicians' guidance contributed to their perceived positive outcome. Patients' trust and sharing concerns with physicians were found as important relational factors in patients' perception of physician-patient relationship. Besides, systemic factors such as insufficient consultation duration and physicians' excessive patient load influenced the quality of consultation, ultimately affecting patients with chronic diabetes and hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that the quality of healthcare service extends beyond physicians' clinical competencies only; it constitutes physicians' behaviors and physician-patient relationship as therapeutic components in chronic illness care. Enhancing the communication skills of the physicians and relational exchanges between physician and patient may help meaningfully improve the management capacity of patients with chronic diabetes and hypertension.