Abstract:
This research aimed to study communication between obstetricians-gynecologists and patients during consultation and physical examination and problems found in the communication. In addition, this research purposed to compare between problems found in male doctors and female doctors and to compare between problems found in patients with lower than undergraduate education and higher. This study used multiple methodology: in-depth interview, questionnaires and documentary research. However, this research emphasized on quality research. This study used theoretical framework of Interpersonal Communication Theory and Ethnography of Communication Theory and the concepts of Doctor and Influential Relationship, Communication about Sex in Thai Society, Polite Way of Language, and Male and Female Gender in Thai Society. The result showed that: 1. The communication during consultation and physical examination consisted of 6 communication events: greeting, interviewing and diagnosing, explaining the patient's condition, explaining the treatment, pre-closing, and closing. The doctor played the key role. 2. The communication problems found in this research were divided into 3 categories: 1) the communication problems between doctors and patients 2) the patients' problems during consultation and physical examination 3) the positive reinforcement methods. 3. Most of the doctors agreed that the female doctors had an advantage over the male doctors. Nevertheless, patients who aged between 20-39 years and patients who educated lower than undergraduate saw no advantage. 4. The major problems of patients were that the doctors rarely explained the details, the doctors used technical terms and foreign languages, the meeting time was inadequate, and the doctors' personality was too serious. The most frequently found problems of the patients with undergraduate education and higher were the explanation, language, timing, and personality, by order. The most frequently found problems of the patients with lower than undergraduate education were the explanation, personality, language, and timing, by order.