The heart of clinical medicine is the doctor-patient relationship. When we are ill, we want someone we can look up to - someone whom we can trust. We want a doctor who understands our problems - not just the medical disease we have, but someone who has insights into our personal fears and worries as a human being as well. Being ill can be a lonely journey, and we want someone to hold our hand and help us to get better.
We need to be able to trust that our personal physician has our best interests at heart - that he will look after us, and will do whatever is needed in order to help us get better. In the past, trust in the doctor was something which was taken for granted. Doctors were respected professionals, and it was understood that a doctor could do whatever was needed in order to help you get better. The standard image of the family doctor was a hardworking professional who would…
