Doctor-Patient Relationship In India

Abstract

I would like to talk about the patient-doctor relationship. It's always talked of as doctor-patient relationship but I think one needs to look at it from the point of view of the patient. It is an important relationship when you are ill, perhaps the most important relationship in your life at that point in time. It varies from one country to another. I have been ill many times, have undergone a lot of treatment, and had lots of interactions with doctors. Besides deriving comfort and knowledge from them, I have also been very interested in seeing how they deal with patients. I will explain it on behalf of India. The power equation between doctor and patient can never be equal. Clearly, one feels at the mercy of, not just the doctor, but the whole medical system. One feels like a body that they are taking care of - or, given the degree of specialisation, one ends up feeling that each is looking at a particular organ, and how these organs are put together is anybody's responsibility. That is also because the whole breed of general practitioners (GP) is becoming extinct. The doctor who takes complete responsibility for you is a breed that has completely vanished. Ultimately, it's mainly the responsibility of the patient, who has to look at different aspects of his or her body and decide that it does work cohesively after all with no help from doctors. The patient and doctor meet under trying circumstances - at least as far as the patient is concerned. The context may be just routine for the doctor. You may have made the choice to meet the particular doctor. Sometimes, of course, the power of choice is missing, and you go to the hospital and have to deal with whoever you meet. The anxiety of the patient is born out of the inequalities inherent in the situation. This is why it's so important to look at this relationship from the perspective of the patient. Doctors are a resource, so something like a list of questions prepared beforehand can be very useful. If you have 10 minutes with the doctor, it is illuminating if the patient can ask questions and then have some say in deciding how the whole conversation goes. Doctors are generally very willing to answer many questions. They see that as a very focused way of giving their attention and care, and even impart medical knowledge when necessary. And that becomes an important way of communicating and building up rapport. A patient can also help in that - it is such a crucial relationship when you are ill. Thinking of what questions to ask also gives the patient something concrete to do. I think that in situations like this, empowerment is a matter of whether you can at least partially take charge of the conversation or you have to let it happen whichever way the doctor wants it to happen. This seems like a small thing, but it could be big in terms of saying: "Look, I have in some sense taken charge of my illness," and that is important. I feel sometimes the patient-doctor relationship can go beyond the parameters defined by the illness that first brings them together.