Finding meaning in the consultation: supporting the hermeneutic window in practice

[摘要] INTRODUCTION Consultation frameworks usually address only generic skills and largely ignore the extent to which a clinician is able to establish a human connection, to understand what an illness means to their patient, and to help them navigate through it, particularly in the face of uncertainty. We previously presented a model that sees biomedical and humanistic approaches as complementary and in which hermeneutics, the finding and creation of meaning by both patient and doctor, plays a key role. In the first of three articles, we introduced the ideas behind the model1 and in the second we illustrated how it can work in practice.2 In this third article we explore some of the systemic factors that have led to an undervaluing of hermeneutic approaches and illustrate ways in which a healthier balance may be restored, both for patients and practitioners.

[学科分类] 卫生学