Active listening： theory and practice of building mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.07.16
- VernacularTitle:积极倾听：构建互信医患关系的理论与实践
- Author:
Guiying GU
1
;
Yuxiao DU
2
;
Peng CHEN
3
Author Information
1. School of Marxism， Northeastern University， Shenyang 110819， China
2. International Research Center for Culture and Technology， School of Social Sciences， Tsinghua University， Beijing 100081， China
3. China Research Institute for Science Popularization， Beijing 100081， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
active listening;
mutually trusting doctor-patient relationship;
client-centeredness
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(7):951-957
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The doctor-patient relationship in modern medical practice faces the limitations of evidence-based medicine under the “biomedical” model， as well as “four major gaps” in communication between doctors and patients who inhabit the two separate worlds of “medicine” and “life.” These issues not only pose challenges to the doctor-patient relationship but also constitute topics that medical ethical practice needs to address. The doctor-patient relationship is essentially an interpersonal relationship mediated by “illness.” It includes， but is not limited to， a consumer relationship and a contractual relationship， and the exceeding part lies in the content of “doctors’ humanistic care to patients.” Throughout the history of medical development， it is not difficult to find that medicine is never short of humanistic spirit and ethical principles， but lacks the tools to put them into practice. “Active listening，” proposed by humanistic psychologist Rogers， is not only an active and conscious communication method， but also a therapeutic concept and the most complete practice of the core assumption of “client-centeredness.” The focus of mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships lies in “mutual trust.” The premise of mutual trust represents honest communication and mutual understanding between both parties， while the “unconditional positive regard， acceptance， and empathy” emphasized by active listening are precisely the conditions that foster honest communication and mutual understanding. Therefore， it is necessary to incorporate active listening into the modern medical system as a theoretical weapon and practical tool for building mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships. Theoretically， it is conducive to advancing the reflection on the nature of mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships. Practically， it contributed to improving the level of trust between doctors and patients， promoting the establishment of mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships， and thus creating a favorable medical environment.
