Doctor-patient communication in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Aim . To identify the characteristics of doctor-­patient communication in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) based on self-understanding of their condition. Material and methods . The study included 47 patients aged 46,4±11,5 years with a verified PAH (women, 89,4%). The study was based on qualitative data obtained through questionnaires. The results were interpreted using semantic and communicative-­pragmatic analysis. Results . The patients tend to focus on the semantic field of the word "Health". The response analysis allows us to conclude that participants who had already had some experience in communicating with healthcare specialists prefer to hear phrases about somatic maintenance and medical control over the disease. It does not fully fit into the patients’ worldview and the symptoms are on the periphe­ry of their perception. Finding out the treatment expectations will enable a doctor to minimize conflicts between the two sides of the therapeutic process concer­ning different treatment approaches and disease perception. Conclusion . The conducted research allows a doctor to choose a communicative tactic in conducting a conversation with a PAH patient. The findings also suggest that this approach may be useful for dialogue algorithmization during any medical consultation concerning other health conditions.