Table 2 Questions, themes, frequencies and example participant quotes
From: Youth preferences for healthcare providers and healthcare interactions: a qualitative study
Theme | n (%) | Representative Quotes |
|---|---|---|
This week we want to know what you would look for when choosing a doctor. What characteristics are important to you, if any? Why? (n = 930) | ||
Personal factors | ||
Kind, caring | 291 (31.3) | “I want them to be friendly and someone I can easily approach” |
Professional | 201 (21.6) | “A doctor that focuses on patient care and not rushing through patients. A doctor who is focused and present” “Clarity, professionalism, cleanliness” |
Listens, communicates | 178 (19.1) | “Some one who LISTENS to me” “Someone who can communicate well with the patient” |
Honest, trustworthy | 119 (12.8) | “trustworthy, intelligent” “First of all safety is the most important. Someone you can trust to be honest with, because the honesty must go both ways in that kind of relationship” |
Values | 49 (5.3) | “mainly their stances on some public health issues like LGBTQ health” |
Logistical factors | ||
Education, experience | 279 (30.0) | “Experience, expertise, school they studied at” |
Accessibility, affordability, location | 181 (19.5) | “If it’s on my insurance, otherwise i can’t afford it” “Close to me, so basically the distance and probably what people say about them” |
Reviews | 173 (18.6) | “Good online reviews” “Their ratings to know I’m going to a good doctor that I can trust” |
Services offered | 57 (6.1) | “I personally look to see if they specialize in children or teen health” |
Demographic factors | ||
Gender | 84 (9.0) | “Must be the same gender as me” “I feel more comfortable with a doctor who is my own biological sex.” |
Age | 16 (1.7) | “A young doctor. So I can trust them” “Someone with good reviews and is middle age because they will be up to date with new medicine” |
Race/Ethnicity | 6 (0.6) | “Race because of how much it affects health outcomes” |
Is it important that you have similar characteristics to your doctor (age, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, background, personality, etc.)? If so, what characteristics? (n = 903) | ||
Yes or depends | 496 (54.9) | |
Gender | 339 (68.3) | “It’s helpful to have the same gender for me.”, “The only preference I really have is that the doctor is the same gender as me” |
Age | 74 (14.9) | “Depending on the person, yes. Ideally someone slightly younger because I associate that with being more tolerant or progressive. Also I prefer a womxn” |
Race or ethnicity | 73 (14.7) | “Yes, having a doctor similar to me in race usually helps put me at ease and relate better” |
Personality | 35 (7.1) | “Similar personality”, “yes, age and personality.” |
Background experiences | 26 (2.9) | “Similar gender and race, grew from similar socioeconomic background and understanding” |
Values or religious beliefs | 23 (2.5) | “I prefer seeing Jewish doctors. It’s just not the same.”, “Having similar values and personalities is important to me, as well as having the same gender.” |
LGBTQ + status | 22 (2.4) | “They must be gay”, “Yes sexual orientation” |
Disability status | 13 (2.6) | “I think it’s important to have as much in common with your doctor, particularly sex and disability, because those are harder to understand from someone that doesn’t have them” |
Language | 12 (1.3) | “Just gender and no language barrier”, “Yes that obviously helps, gender and race. Language too” |
No | 401 (44.4) | “Not really, I just want somebody I can trust and feel comfortable with” |
When would being similar to your doctor be important? Specifically, for what type of healthcare visits? (n = 852) | ||
Always | 74 (8.7) | “I’m not sure I feel like all health visits would be equally important”, “Any visit” |
Sometimes | 628 (73.7) | “General health visits, female health. Specialties would matter less” |
Never | 101 (11.9) | “Never”, “It wouldn’t matter” |
Unsure | 49 (5.8) | “I’m unsure”, “i have no idea” |
Types of visits | ||
Sexual health care | 405 (57.6) | “Sexual health visits primarily”, “Especially for women’s health or reproductive visits. Any visits that require a exam of my body” |
General care | 124 (17.6) | “general check ups! they will know how to make you feel comfortable and understand you” |
Mental health care | 71 (10.1) | “All kinds, but especially mental health”, “Maybe for psychological healthcare? Somebody who is able to empathize with one’s situation better.” |
Sensitive topics | 68 (9.7) | “I guess if I needed a personal one on one check up where they asked personal questions so I would feel less tense and more honest” |
Cultural health concerns | 50 (7.1) | “he could possibly understand the same kinds of struggles that i may face when it come to my health or culture”, “healthcare that your ethnicity might experience more often than others” |
Chronic health care | 27 (3.8) | “Chronic disease, cancer, genetic disease things that would require the support and explanation to my family” |
LGBTQ + health care | 20 (2.8) | “Ob-gyn. Queer identity-related visits.”, “For people who identify within the LGBT + community, having doctors of similar identities makes it easier to discuss specific needs” |
How would being similar to our doctor impact what you say or do during your visit? (n = 838) | ||
More comfort | 342 (40.8) | “I would feel more comfortable” |
More open communication | 307 (36.6) | “If your similar or you might be more open to sharing things with your doctor”, “I would find it easier to open up since I know they can relate better to how I feel or what health issues I have” |
More understood | 116 (13.8) | “it would make me feel understood and safe” |
More trust | 50 (6.0) | “If it were for say, mental illness I’d be more willing to take their input”, “I would probably trust them more” |
No change | 168 (20.0) | “I don’t think it would at all”, “It wouldn’t” |
It depends | 59 (7.0) | “It rlly depends on the issue it’s kind hard to tell rlly” |
I don’t know | 41 (4.9) | “Idk” |
If you were in a situation where you felt uncomfortable with your doctor, what could they do to make you feel more comfortable? (n = 821) | ||
Doctor behavior change | ||
Be nice and respectful | 167 (20.3) | “Treat me with respect”, “Make themselves approachable and kind” |
Communicate more | 114 (13.9) | “Take a second and just talk, get to know each other a bit. Serves 2 purposes: a break from the uncomfortable situation, and a chance to feel more comfortable with the doctor” |
Address the issue | 108 (13.2) | “Talk to them about it and just be honest”, “address the issue” |
Provide reassurance | 103 (12.5) | “Just be patient and keep ensuring me that nothing I say will leave the room”, “Reassurance of their ideas/ diagnoses, that they’re confident that they’re able to help me with my health issues” |
Listen and empathize | 84 (10.2) | “They could try to relate to me better as a person rather than a patient”, “Listen to all of my problems and not just write them off as nothing to worry about” |
Use humor or build rapport | 68 (8.3) | “Maybe make a joke or something along those lines”, “Tell a bit about themselves so I know where they’re coming from” |
Change in setting | ||
Switch doctors | 107 (13.0) | “If I was uncomfortable with my doctor I just ask for another one” |
Request chaperone | 59 (7.2) | “Get a female doctor or nurse to come in as well during my visit”, “Let me bring someone else into the room” |
I don’t know | 150 (18.3) | “I’m not sure”, “I don’t know” |