Objective To explore the factors which influence the doctor-patient relationship and to provide evidence to help decision makers improve hospital management and construct a harmonious doctor-patient relationship. Methods Discharged patients of West China Hospital from 2003-2006 were randomly selected and asked to complete a specially designed questionnaire. Results In total, 8 000 questionnaires were distributed and 2 526 were returned. The retrieval rate was 31.57%. The responses showed that non-medical factors have became the main factors affecting the doctor-patient relationship (91.8%). Other important factors included medical cost (21.5%) and doctor-patient communication (11.51%). Conclusion We should boost hospital management level, train non-medical staff, save costs and improve doctor-patient communication.