Fostering Strong Physician-Patient Relationships for Effective Diagnosis and Treatment - Paper Sample

Physician and patient relationships are key to ensuring quality diagnosis and treatment by the doctor. When the connection is good, the patient will always be willing to share her illness history among others that might help the doctor get some better background information pertaining to the patient and get a root to his or her difficulty (HAN, FENG & WEI, 2017).To improve this kind of relationship, some of the standard methods that can be used include the following

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Encourage the patient to share his / her disease story by re-establishing details in the patient's own words and developing open-ended questions during the medical interview. This is achieved by ensuring that the physician is giving the patient ample time to talk while listening. An atmosphere of support, comfort, confidence, and protection can be established through the effective use of nonverbal communication. Examples of approaches that can improve the interview are regular eye contact and intervals of well-timed silence (Hong, 2010).

Patients and doctors should approach the appointment with little different agendas. The physician's plan could help patients recognize a functional condition diagnosis and start treating the symptoms. On the other hand, the patient could come to the appointment seeking a particular diagnosis, a cure, or the reassurance that they have no cancer. Therefore, both physicians and patients must communicate their objectives when the appointment begins.

The doctor should understand the difficulties patients face in trying to control their pain. At the same time, they attempt to perform work, retain their positions within the family, and justify their own and other disorders (Liu & Jiang, 2019). Patients who have endured severe psychosocial loss or trauma (e.g., history of abuse) may find it embarrassing to address these issues. For this reason, it is crucial that the doctor validates the feelings of the patient without making a personal judgment or offering a fast solution. Also, stating how studies have shown a correlation between stressful events and GI disorders will increase awareness of patients' problems. Empathy involves expressing an understanding of the patient's pain and suffering while retaining an objective and observant attitude (McWilliams, 2018).

Identifying and legitimizing a patient's fears and worries without providing false reassurances will lead to patient comfort. It makes them feel better knowing that the doctor is committed to them and acknowledges their emotions as necessary, and their condition as real and not "in their mind. "The patient and the physician must agree on a treatment plan after the medical interview and a physical exam are completed (Morrell & Stratman, 2016). The doctor should understand the patient's personal experiences and lifestyle and offer options that are compatible with those factors. Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the organizations where these methods of relationships are provided. It helps in knowing the current status of a patient. Many nurses are always there to attend to personal issues and give aid to the patients (Okonta & Ogaji, 2020).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say that the relationship between the patient and the physician is one of the critical things that should be highly considered. The communication and art of simple listening skills are some of the main things to start practicing listening skills (Turgu & Öztora, 2018).

References

HAN, R., FENG, L., & WEI, L. (2017). Research on the Influence of Doctor-Patient Relationship on Physicians’ Citizenship Behavior. Destech Transactions On Social Science, Education And Human Science, (mess). doi: 10.12783/dtssehs/mess2016/9753

Hong, C. (2010). Relationship Between Patient Panel Characteristics and Primary Care Physician Clinical Performance Rankings. JAMA, 304(10), 1107. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1287

Liu, P., & Jiang, S. (2019). Patient-Centered Communication Mediates the Relationship between Health Information Acquisition and Patient Trust in Physicians: A Five-Year Comparison in China. Health Communication, 1-10. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1673948

McWilliams, L. (2018). Relationships Between Adult Attachment Dimensions and Patient-Physician Relationship Quality. Journal Of Relationships Research, 9. doi: 10.1017/jrr.2018.13

Morrell, J., & Stratman, E. (2016). Relationship Between Physicians’ Active Participation in Maintenance of Certification and Patients’ Perspective of Care Surveys. Journal Of Patient Experience, 3(2), 43-47. doi: 10.1177/2374373516652232

Okonta, K., & Ogaji, D. (2020). Relationship Between Patient Satisfaction and Willingness to Comply With Physicians’ Recommendation in Referral Surgical Outpatient Clinic in Nigeria. Journal Of Patient Experience, 237437352094240. doi: 10.1177/2374373520942402

Turgu, S., & Öztora, S. (2018). Patient satisfaction in primary care and the relationship with physicians’ job satisfaction. Türkiye Aile Hekimligi Dergisi, 22(2), 78-91. doi: 10.15511/tahd.18.00278