Background
The relationship between doctor and patient is an important part of General Practice as an institution of health care. However, there is limited research on the professionalization of the relational competence (da. Relationskompetence) of the GP. The term relationskompetence has already been evolved in pedagogical research aimed at teachers in municipal primary and secondary school in Denmark. Evolving the term and its mentioned components in a new institutional setting, such as General Practice, begs for attention to new institutional conditions, which is intertwined with the institutional aim. This study sets out to define the relational competence of GPs in general practice as an institution while defining what institutional conditions affects the GP as a step to professionalize the relational competence of GPs.
Method The project is based in Psychology of Language is a research field where relationships, and the communication within, them can be investigated and theoreticalized, as well as broader institutional communication and discourse. Thus, the methods used for this study are conversation analysis multimodal interactional analysis, systematic text condensation and document analysis. Results
“Relationskompetence” fathoms several parts for investigation in the professionalization of relational competence, including the institutional aim/goal, which preliminary results show is beneficial to discuss in regards to institutional conditions.
Conclusions
The larger parts of the study is yet to be conducted, and the conclusion of preliminary results is merely, that this exploration is beneficial to General Practice as an institution. Researching phenomena, which simultaneously delves into the psychology of interpersonal relationships, institutional discourses, analysis of both actions and conversation, and intersubjectivity, requires a research field spanning all these areas. The theoretical base in Psychology of Language as a study field, will make the project possible to carry out, through the integration of communicative and psychological approaches.