• Cæcilie Hansen, Ann Dorrit Guassora, Anne Beiter Arreskov, Annette Sofie Davidsen, and Gritt Overbeck.
• Centre for General Practice: The Section of General Practice Medicine and The Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Scand J Prim Health Care. 2024 Oct 20: 1131-13.

ObjectiveTo explore core elements from Teachers' Relational Competence in general practice literature regarding building relationships in consultations, specifying actions doctors take to create and maintain relationship quality with patients. This systematic literature review aims to map and propose a similar framework for the doctor-patient relationship.BackgroundThe doctor-patient relationship, a well-researched yet complex field, often lacks clear descriptions. In recent definitions of patient-centred medicine, the responsibility of this relationship falls on the doctor, though how both relationship and responsibility is enacted needs clarification. Pedagogical literature on the student-teacher relationship provides a framework for relational competence, incorporating the needs and interactions between teacher and student and their alignment with institutional goals.MethodsA systematic review of two databases yielded 1256 hits. After screening, 15 studies were included and assessed. A qualitative synthesis was conducted through iterative and thematic deductive analysis.ResultsFour relationally competent attitudes identified were: Attention to emotion, Devotion, Mentalization, and Time-oriented presence. Four relationally competent actions identitfied were: Being open, Attunement, Offering Support, and Using humor. Additionally, Trust and Continued connectedness were found as components of both attitudes and actions.ConclusionAn explanatory framework for professional relational competence for GPs includes concrete actions and specific attitudes before and during consultations. These consist of four key attitudes and four categories of actions with several subgroups of actions. Two additional components to the framework was found.

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