The purpose of the study: to perform an analysis compliance as a social characteristic of a patient in the formation of his assessment of the professional qualities of a doctor. Materials and methods. The data for the analysis were obtained by questioning 502 patients of medical organizations in Moscow providing medical care in outpatient settings. The first group (the main one) included patients with a high level of compliance — 197 patients. The second group (control) included patients with a low level of compliance — 131 patients. Taking into account the nonparametric distribution of primary data, a nonparametric analogue of the correlation coefficient, the association coefficient, was used to identify the relationship, and the criterion of the reliability of differences was used to compare groups. Results. Patients who were more committed to treatment (compliant) trusted formal criteria more, such as having a qualification category or an academic degree. Regardless of the degree of compliance when choosing a doctor, patients most appreciate the feedback of patients who have already been treated by this doctor. The second most important was the previous experience of contacting this doctor, and this was of great importance among the patients of the main group. Such patients were more based on their opinion, despite the fact that they might not have had experience of contacting this doctor. They are more likely to listen to the opinions of other doctors, ratings of doctors on the websites of medical organizations and virtual patients (reviews on the Internet), in respect of which the degree of trust is certainly lower. Mass media and advertising have almost no meaning when choosing a doctor for patients. When choosing a medical organization, patients are primarily guided by the presence of competent specialists in the staff of the organization and a good reputation of the medical organization. These signs were more important among patients with a high degree of compliance. For such patients, a clear organization of work was important and they regarded these signs as more important compared to patients with a low degree of compliance. Geographical and temporal accessibility, as well as the cheapness of paid services, were of less importance.