Barriers and Facilitators to Physician-Patient Communication in Chinese Tertiary Hospitals From the Perspectives of Hospital-Based Physicians and Patient Relations Coordinators: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Effective physician-patient communication is essential for building trust and sustaining positive relationships, yet becomes increasingly challenging in China's tertiary hospitals, where physicians face heavy workloads. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the barriers and facilitators of physician-patient communication by synthesizing perspectives from Chinese hospital-based physicians and patient relations coordinators. METHODS: A qualitative study using semistructured interviews was conducted with 17 participants (11 physicians and 6 patient relations coordinators) from tertiary hospitals in China (April-July 2025). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's framework. RESULTS: Barriers and facilitators of physician-patient communication were organized into a multilevel framework comprising patient-level, physician-level, and system-level factors. Patient-level barriers included individual background differences, inadequate expression and limited health literacy, and psycho-emotional states with expectation misalignment, whereas facilitators included effective expectation management, good health literacy and communication readiness, and trust in physicians with shared decision-making. Physician-level barriers involved communication style deficiencies, empathy gaps, and time pressure constraints; facilitators included active listening and patient-centeredness, empathy and emotional support, and clear explanations with cultural adaptability. At the system level, barriers included hospital environment and medical visit settings, legal and policy deficiencies, insufficient communication training, and media-driven distrust with digitally mediated information challenges, while facilitators included institutional support and security assurance, educational training and policy promotion, process optimization and patient health education, and artificial intelligence-assisted baseline knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Physician-patient communication is influenced by multiple factors, necessitating comprehensive intervention measures: enhancing patient education, improving physician communication skills, and strengthening organizational support systems. Notably, special attention should be directed toward addressing the unique challenges posed by digital technologies while concurrently leveraging the opportunities they present to optimize communication outcomes.