The beleaguered consultation

[摘要] The consultation is the central event in medicine at which the hopes fears and expectations of the patient meet the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the physician. From this event emerge the prescriptions, and treatment plans that healthcare systems struggle to afford. Performed well the collaboration in the consultation is one of the purest examples of the second commandment in action, to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Performed badly the consultation can be a venue for rejection, misery and complaint.

[学科分类] 卫生学