Abstract:

Objective

To develop a special scale for measuring the doctor-patient communication of dentists in China.

Methods

The research group was composed of 20 dentists and doctor-patient communication researchers.By studying related literatures and making reference to internationally recognized doctor-patient communication scales and session discussions， we established an initial theoretical structure of the doctor-patient communication scale applied in hospitals of stomatology.The formal scale was formed finally after pilot study and entries screening.The scale was tested by 240 patients with oral diseases， and its reliability and validity were evaluated.

Results

There was remarkable correlation between each item and its dimension， also each dimension and overall scale.Extracted four factors， the characteristic roots of which were greater than 1， the cumulative contribution rate of which was 62.60% and the load values of all entries from the four factors were above 0.4.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the overall scale was 0.943 and those of the sub dimensions were 0.916， 0.845， 0.841， 0.780.

Conclusions

The scale showed excellent reliability and validity.It can be used to quantify the doctor-patient communication in hospitals of stomatology， and dig out weaknesses of dentists in communication skills.It plays an important role in doctor-patient communication education.

Key words: Dental, Doctor-patient communication, Reliability, Validity, Questionnaires