The physician and resource allocation

Even though there is substantial pressure on physicians to significantly reduce the amount of public monies spent on geriatric health care, it is improper for physicians to let financial concerns take precedence over their obligations to care for the patients who seek their services and assistance. The doctor/patient relationship demands that the physician be faithful to the cause of meeting the needs of patients. This faith is kept by taking all necessary steps to respect and promote the autonomy of patients. This is best done by adhering to a commitment of pursuing a process of communication with patients that leads to the attainment of informed consent or refusal from patients. Two consequences likely to follow are protection of many patients from protracted, miserable deaths because of less use of invasive medical procedures, and subsequent financial savings from this lower degree of use.     

The general physician

The Malcolm L. Peterson Lecture, presented at the 13th annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine, Arlington, Virginia, May 3, 1990.     

The physician as comforter

Patients, their families and even physicians themselves have commented on the lack of communication skills, empathy and concern for the psychosocial aspect of patient care among doctors of today. The call by many in the medical community for a renewed commitment to professionalism is partially in response to these concerns. Recently, medical ethics has focused on technical legal issues but ethics also has much to contribute on issues relating to the doctor-patient relationship. By analyzing traditional religious attitudes toward this relationship one can develop universal insights that still have much relevance to modern medicine for physicians and patients of all faiths.