Doctors still make us feel well

By KATHERINE HOBY

High-profile court cases, doctor errors and health scandals have rocked the medical profession worldwide.

So how has the negative publicity affected public opinion of the profession?

Do we still respect and trust our doctors? Apparently we do.

An inquiry by the British Medical Journal shows that in most places respect for doctors is extremely high and has not altered noticeably over the past 10 years.

New Zealand was not surveyed by the Journal, but doctors were ranked sixth in last year's Reader's Digest survey on the most trusted professions in the country.

Tony Dowell, professor of general practice at the Wellington School of Medicine, said New Zealand doctors had become demoralised in the past few years.

He said the profession had been significantly damaged by such high-profile cases against doctors as the conviction of Christchurch GP Morgan Fahey on patient sex-abuse charges and the investigation into the conduct of Northland gynaecologist Graham Parry.

The Journal article presents the results of surveys on doctors in a variety of countries.

In Germany, physicians are losing some status, although theirs is still by far the most prestigious profession.

In a recent poll, they beat their nearest rivals - priests - by nearly 30 per cent, with 74 per cent of the public claiming they have the highest regard for medical practitioners. However, this figure is down 7 per cent on 1995.

After a dip in ratings in Australia last year, things have taken a turn for the better. The latest poll, issued last month, shows that, at 75 per cent, doctors have retained the third most respected position, after nurses and pharmacists.

In most other countries where there are regular opinion polls on professional standing, doctors continue to be held in high esteem.

Even in Britain - which has been hit by an unprecedented number of medical scandals in recent years - doctors top the polls as the most trustworthy and hardworking of all professionals.

Likewise in France, the public seem more than content with their doctors' performance. A recent survey said 77 per cent were satisfied with the quality of medical care they were getting and 87 per cent could not fault their doctor's competence.

In other countries the public's opinion of doctors is climbing.

In the United States this has been a trend for 15 years, and in 2000 more than half of 13,000 patients surveyed rated their doctor as "excellent".

In Israel, too, the public's perception of doctors is unfaltering. They are the most trusted group of professionals - way ahead of lawyers, teachers and the clergy.

But it was Dutch patients who found it hardest to fault their doctors. One study showed 97 per cent of Dutch patients felt confident in their GP, and overall satisfaction with healthcare was as high as 90 per cent.

In most countries institutions rather than doctors were blamed for dissatisfaction with the health system.

The surveys into doctors also suggest patient perception of physicians has changed.

They are no longer regarded as the paternalistic figures they once were, but as a technician or a gatekeeper to health services.

Patients are better informed, more critical and more demanding than ever - and surely that will serve to keep doctors on their toes.