News

The most important recent advance has been the focus on quality of care at the end of life and how to improve it. Although the most frequently cited studies on end-of-life care published since 1998 deal with euthanasia and assisted suicide, concerns...

The changing pattern in the doctor-patient relationship is becoming an increasing challenge for healthcare professionals. It is believed that for a healthy and effective doctor-patient relationship, trust and communication play a key role. The aim of this literature review ...

The doctor-patient relationship is central to healthcare delivery. In the past, the relationship was seen as one between the 'healer' and the patient. Nowadays, however, this relationship is seen as an interaction between provider and...

Doctors recognise that accurate diagnosis depends on the provision of accurate information by patients and family members, and that timely, insightful and compassionate care depends on effective two-way communication (between patient and...

The aim of this article was to review research on emotional communication in medical interviews in terms of predictors, physiological correlates and effects of clinicians' responses to patients' signals and concerns, and individual differences between patients. Four questions were examined...

This article explores the terms of the trust relationship between patients and doctors. Trust relationships are not usually negotiated overtly. This study relies on a combination of interviews and observations. The study involved 16 patients and eight GPs from...

Both doctors and patients may see the Internet as a potential challenge to existing therapeutic relationships. This article explores patients' views on the impact of the Internet on their relationships with doctors. Eight focus groups were conducted ...

The boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship is an important concept to help healthcare professionals navigate the complex and sometimes difficult patient-physician experience, where intimacy and power must be balanced towards benefiting...

The doctor-patient relationship has been defined as 'an appropriate relationship in which a patient consciously seeks the help of a physician and the physician consciously accepts that person as a patient'. In its essence, the doctor-patient relationship represents a fiduciary relationship in which, by entering into ...

Medical teachers stress the importance of teaching patient-centred care. A total of 673 first, third and fourth year medical students were surveyed. The survey used the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), a validated tool designed to measure...

Power is an inevitable aspect of all social relationships and is inherently neither good nor bad. Doctors need power to fulfil their professional responsibilities to multiple constituencies, including patients, communities and themselves. Patients ...

The aim of this review was to determine how differences between doctors and patients in terms of race, ethnicity and language affect the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. A literature review was conducted to assess the existing evidence on ethnic differences and ...

The doctor-patient relationship has been transformed over the years. Two decades ago, the relationship was mainly between the patient seeking help and the doctor, whose decisions were carried out quietly by the patient. In this paternalistic model of the relationship, the...

Doctors caring for patients with life-threatening illnesses face difficult communication challenges. Patients and family members may react to difficult messages with sadness, anxiety, anger or denial. This book defines specific tasks ...

This book provides anaesthetists and intensive care staff with a comprehensive resource that offers ways to improve communication in daily clinical practice and practical communication tools that can be used in difficult or unfamiliar...