unter with the physician? A study of arthritis suffers showed that , They (patients) want to be able to trust the competence and efficacy of their caregivers. They want to be able to negotiate the health care system effectively and to be treated with dignity and respect. Patients want to understand how their sickness or treatment will affect their lives, and they often fear that their doctors are not telling them everything they want to know. Patients worry about and want to learn how to care for themselves away from the clinical setting. They want us to focus on their pain, physical discomfort, and functional disabilities. They want to discuss the effect their illness will have on their family, friends, and finances. And they worry about the future. (Newman, 105) This is very important to show that they know what they want and the doctors need to listen to the patients needs. Prior to when medicine was more science than art, physicians worked to refine their bedside manner because cures were often impossible and treatment had limited effect. In the middle of the century when science and technology emerged, interpersonal aspects of health care were overshadowed. There is currently a renewed interest in medicine as a social process. After all, if there were no patients there would be no doctors.What is Still Unknown About Physician Patient Communication and What would I study further?The role of technology in the 21st century is unknown in the medical field. The Internet and email present many possibilities in the communication between doctors and patients. As more and more people use the Internet to gather information, many are using technology to address their health needs and questions as well. Numerous web sites have health information, and some even provide online doctors who answer questions about medical conditions or problems. The answers are instantaneous, and the doctor is in 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some con...
