Session 9 - Patients and Proffessionals

Question 1

Describe the functionalist approach to understanding the doctor-patient relationship

Answer 1

• Falling ill is a socio-cultural experience
• lay people do not have the technical competence to remedy the situation and so the sick person is placed in a state of helplessness
• Medicine and doctors restore health and therefore restores social equilibrium

Question 2

Describe the rights and duties of a sick role in the functionalist approach to viewing the dr-pt relationship

Answer 2

• Sick person is freed of social responsibilities and obligations
• Become dependant upon medical care
• Should want to get well and not abuse exemption
• Expected to seek out help

Question 3

Describe the rights and duties of the doctor role in the functionalist approach to viewing the dr-pt relationship

Answer 3

• Tend to the sick in society
• use skills for the benefits of patients
• act for the welfare of the patient

Question 4

Describe some criticisms to the functionalist approach to viewing the dr-pt relationship

Answer 4

• Sick role may never end ie chronic illness/illegitimate occupants
• Assumes patient is incompetent and has a completely passive role
• Assumes rationality and beneficence

Question 5

Outline the conflict approach of assessing the dr-pt relationship

Answer 5

• Doctor has bureaucratic power and can exploit definitions of health and illness
• Patient has to submit to institutionalised dominance of Dr
• Lay ideas are discounted and social life pathologised
• People become dependant of medicine and loose self reliance ie childbirth

Question 6

Give some criticisms of the conflict approach of assessing dr-patient relationships

Answer 6

• Is the portrayal of Drs and pts in conflict inaccurate?
• Patients can exert control over their care eg non-adherence
• Patients seek to medicalise issues

Question 7

Describe the interpretive/interactionalist approach to viewing the dr-pt relationship

Answer 7

• Focusses on the meaning to both parties give to the encounter
• Interested in patients and what features of care are good/hinder care?

Question 8

Describe the patient-centred method to assessing the doctor-patient relationship

Answer 8

• Has an aspiration that the relationship could be less hierarchical and more cooperative
• Patients views should be taken seriously and consultations should explore patients reasons for visits -> ICE
• Holistic approach to medicine with a mutual agreement

Question 9

Describe some challenges of shared decision making between doctors and patients

Answer 9

• Are the consequences of patient involvement always good?
• Under what circumstances should patient power be limited?
• Who has final responsibility?
• Time