The study appears in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. It's based on nearly 200 patients treated at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Minnesota from 2001 to 2002.

In phone interviews with people who had no ties with the Mayo Clinic, the patients described their best and worst experiences with their Mayo Clinic doctors, with confidentiality guaranteed. The doctors seen by the patients came from 14 medical specialties.

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The researchers -- who included Neeli Bendapudi, PhD, of Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business -- then checked the interview transcripts and spotted seven traits that patients favored in their doctors.

What Made the List?

Here are the seven traits listed by the patients, along with the patients' definitions of those traits:

Confident: "The doctor's confidence gives me confidence."
Empathetic: "The doctor tries to understand what I am feeling and experiencing, physically and emotionally, and communicates that understanding to me."
Humane: "The doctor is caring, compassionate, and kind."
Personal: "The doctor is interested in me more than just as a patient, interacts with me, and remembers me as an individual."
Forthright: "The doctor tells me what I need to know in plain language and in a forthright manner."
Respectful: "The doctor takes my input seriously and works with me."
Thorough: "The doctor is conscientious and persistent."

That list isn't in any particular order. The researchers didn't check whether confidence was more important to patients than respectful treatment, for instance. The Mayo Foundation funded the study.

What Didn't Make the List?

The traits covered doctors' behavior, not technical know-how.

That finding "does not suggest that technical skills are less important than personal skills, but it does suggest that the former are more difficult for patients to judge," the researchers write.

They add that patients may tend to assume that doctors are competent unless they see signs of incompetence, the researchers add.

One patient put it this way in the study:

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"We want doctors who can empathize and understand our needs as a whole person. ... We want to feel that our doctors have incredible knowledge in their field. But every doctor needs to know how to apply their knowledge with wisdom and relate to us as plain folks who are capable of understanding our disease and treatment."

Who Wants a Cold, Callous Doctor?

The study is the first of its kind, writes James Li, MD, PhD, in a journal editorial.

Li works in the allergic diseases division of the Mayo Clinic's medical school in Rochester, Minn. He notes that he would have liked to have seen more details on the patients who were interviewed, such as sex, race, and age. This information would be helpful since minorities and women have sometimes reported worse treatment from doctors than whites and men.

Still, Li says it's natural for patients to want caring caregivers. He drafted a list of seven traits that are the opposite of those mentioned in the study:

Timid
Uncaring
Misleading
Cold
Callous
Disrespectful
Hurried

"Can healthcare really ever be high quality if the patient-physician interaction is hurried, disrespectful, cold, callous, or uncaring?" Li writes.

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Prescribing Information

Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.

Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.

UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.

If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.

Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.

Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.

BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.

The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.

Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.

As You Journey through Menopause, Vivelle-Dot Is By Your Side

VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.

INDICATION

Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).

Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).

Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.

The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.

You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.

Prescribing Information