Can the physician-patient relationship improve the health system in Colombia?

Abstract

The Physician-Patient Relationship is at the heart of medical practice. For more than two thousand years, it has evolved with advances in scientific knowledge, and it responds to the expectations of patients and physicians. Recently, it has also expanded its scope to meet the expectations of the healthcare system. From the Physician-Patient Relationship, patients expect respect, listening, recognition as a person, understanding, consideration of their concerns, trust, support, protection, and empowerment, among others. Physicians are expected to diagnose and prescribe treatments, to concentrate and respond despite time pressure, exhausting schedules, complex tasks, administrative tasks, work overload, electronic forms, etc. The healthcare system seeks universalization of coverage, financing, governance, and resource generation, considering as such the healthcare professionals needed to provide the services, ignoring that the Physician-Patient Relationship distinguishes healthcare services from any other type of service. The differences between the expectations of patients, physicians, and the healthcare system lead to problematic relationships, defensive medicine, and insufficient progress in the objectives of the healthcare system. To improve, the healthcare system must foster a productive Physician-Patient Relationship; one way to do this is to consider it an end of the system itself, instead of pigeonholing healthcare professionals as a resource.