Communication with Patients and within the Health Care Team

The physician–patient relationship is an important component of health care delivery. (The terms physician and clinician will be used interchangeably here, acknowledging that other clinicians have similar relationships with patients and are bound by the same code of ethics.) Except in emergencies, before a clinician can initiate a medical or surgical intervention with a patient, a relationship of trust and empathy must exist, allowing the patient to talk about their medical issues. The clinician–patient relationship is a bond that, in many cases, requires some cultivation and may ultimately result in better outcomes. In the United States, the American Medical Association publishes a code of ethics that details the principles physicians must adhere to in providing medical care; these standards of conduct extend to the physician–patient relationship.