The main aim of this study was to determine the level of patient doctor relationship (PDRQ) and assess further the mental health needs of patients attending psychiatry department.

A cross sectional study.

Setting: Psychiatry Department of the Hamad Medical Corporation.

Subjects : A total of 1300 adult patients were approached and 1054 (81.1%) expressed their consent.

The main outcome measures of the study were 13-item patient doctor relationship questionnaire (PDRQ) score and other 11 items assessing what patients need from psychiatrists.

The mean age of the studied psychiatry patients was 38.6±13.4 years with a male female ratio; 1:1. There was a significant difference observed in terms of educational level, occupation, monthly house hold income, number of rooms and number of people living in a house (p< 0.001). Overall satisfaction level of Qatari and other Arab patients with psychiatrists was high because most of the items of the questionnaire were rated above 3.8. The psychiatry patients were very happy with the dedication (4.0±1.0) and availability of psychiatrists (4.0±1.1) for consultation. The three issues most important for the Qatari and other Arab patients were that the doctor should talk about their condition (63.5%), talks about the treatment options (65.9%) for final decision and provide symptomatic relief (62.4%).

The study findings revealed that patient satisfaction in psychiatry hospital care was good and the overall satisfaction level of patients with psychiatrists was high, especially for the dedication and the availability of psychiatrists.