Musee, Beldina2024-10-072024-10-072013-10Musee, B. (2013). Doctor-Patient Communication Approaches Adopted by Medical Doctors at Webuye District Hospital and their Bearing on Patients’ Self-Disclosure. Daystar University, School of Communicationhttps://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5271MASTER OF ARTS In CommunicationThis study investigated the doctor-patient communication approaches adopted by medical doctors in Webuye District Hospital and their bearing on patients’ self-disclosure. It is believed that by the time a doctor is practicing medicine, he or she is already knowledgeable on the human body, its functions, malfunctions and diseases. Patients go to hospitals with the belief that their problem will be addressed and healing will occur. But we still find cases of misdiagnosis of patients and wrong use of drugs by the patients. A total of 113 patients admitted in the wards in May 2013 and 15 doctors were enrolled for the study. From the findings, the doctor-patient communication approach adopted at Webuye District Hospital by the medical doctors is the doctor-centred approach. From the analysis of data, 93 percent of the patients followed the doctors instruction because of the need to get better fast and the belief that the doctor was the expert who understood what they were doing; 38percent of the patients did not ask the doctor questions because the information was very personal or they were not given time. Several factors hindered the patients’ self-disclosure and they included; the hospital setting where the communication was taking place; culture; the presence of significant others and if the information was very personal. The patients sought alternative medical opinions from the community that is their friends and relatives. The study recommends that doctors should gather information from patients using open-ended general enquiry question formats as this will give the patients an active role in providing information on their health status and the doctors should involve the patients in their discussions in order to get the full information on the illness for proper diagnosis.endoctor-patient communicationmedical doctorsWebuye District Hospitalpatients’ self-disclosureThesis