Qualities men value when communicating with general practitioners: implications for primary care settings

Objective: To determine the core qualities that men value when communicating with general practitioners in primary care settings. Design, setting and participants: In a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews in non-clinical environments, 36 white Australian men drawn from the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study, stratified by age and marital status, discussed their help-seeking behaviour and health service use. Participants were from the North West Adelaide region. Interviews were conducted between January and November 2005. Results: The core qualities men value when communicating with GPs in primary care settings include the adoption of a "frank approach", demonstrable competence, thoughtful use of humour, empathy, and prompt resolution of health issues. Conclusions: The core qualities men value when communicating with GPs are concordant with most key dimensions of a patient-centred approach, but not necessarily all. Adopting these qualities has the potential to enhance communication with and care of men in primary care settings.