Difficult patient-doctor encounters in a Swiss university outpatient clinic: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Previous research has shown that multiple factors contribute to healthcare providers perceiving encounters as difficult, and are related to both medical and non-medical demands. Aim: To measure the prevalence and to identify predictors of encounters perceived as difficult by medical residents. Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study at the Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine (DACCM), a university outpatient clinic with a long tradition of caring for vulnerable patients. Method: We identified difficult doctor-patient encounters using the validated Difficult Doctor-Patient Relationship Questionnaire (DDPRQ-10), and characterized patients using the Patient’s Vulnerability Grid, a validated questionnaire measuring 5 domains of vulnerability, both completed by medical residents after each encounter. We used a multiple linear regression model with the outcome variable as the DDPRQ-10 score, controlling for resident characteristics. Participants: We analyzed 52...