The book El día en que casi odié ser médico, was published digitally in its second edition in 2022, in Mexico, by Ediciones De La Parra. This is a 207­page work, authored by Dr. Roberto Carlos Rebollar González, a mexican doctor graduated from the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, specializing in General Surgery from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Dr. Rebollar González writes this book after receiving a legal claim against him, which, fortunately, was resolved in his favor; however, the legal process dragged on for years, with the consequent wear and tear on his person, his professional prestige, and even his family. However, despite the bitter pill, the author understands the trance as an opportunity for personal growth and improvement of professional practice.

The author’s intention with this work is to visualize the potential threat of being involved in a legal situation -fair or unfair- derived from medical practice, which is increasingly frequent nowadays and that, however and despite many of us who practice medicine do not consider this seriously until we find ourselves immersed in a similar problem.

Rebollar González invites not only the doctor, but also all health personnel, to become involved in the knowledge of the legal scope of clinical practice, in order to prevent possible legal conflicts. He clearly recognizes that the practice of defensive medicine is not a desirable path that should be encouraged and established per se, even when the risk is imminent in the face of increased lawsuits against healthcare personnel, in a legal system riddled with injustice and corruption.

The author makes a criticism regarding the public image of the doctor, and how he has lost more and more respect in the society to which he belongs, to such an extent that it is increasingly common to hear about attacks on health personnel. On the other hand, it is clear when pointing out how the shortcomings of the Mexican public health system have also contributed to the deterioration of the image of health personnel and how this sector has been used, on multiple occasions, for purposes ranging from the political even social manipulation.

In his work, the author acknowledges the commercialization into which medical practice has fallen, without falling into generalization, since he believes that there is a large number of health professionals who, out of full vocation, continue to assist the patient, leaving aside the economic aspect to focus on the wellbeing of the person. He considers, then, that both medical commodification and the shortcomings of the Mexican public health system and the doctor’s own actions have contributed to the loss of trust, the increase in patient demands and the discredit of medical practice.

Faced with this situation, Rebollar González insists on never forgetting that, although medicine is a discipline based on scientific aspects. These which represent very important tools for the correct performance of the health professional in the search to preserve or recover the health of patients, the field of medicine should also be highlighted, which is considered an art, through which, on many occasions, although it is not possible to cure the patient, it does allow us to alleviate their suffering.

In his proposal, the author makes it clear that both the patient and the health personnel are people and therefore deserve protection, respect, and recognition of their dignity. In this way, it emphasizes the need for the humanization of the medical act, both by the health professional and by the patient himself, assuming that neither of them is infallible and that both have a whole context that affects them, for better or for worse, and that it affects the relationship established between them.

Rebollar González, beyond regretting the situation experienced, highlights the need to foster a doctor­patient relationship based on assertive, truthful and timely communication. He recognizes in the medical act, a link between two people (health professional and patient) who help each other with a common goal, always with the utmost respect for their dignity and integrity.

For the author, the doctor­patient relationship is the cornerstone of medical practice, which is why it invites the establishment of an empathic relationship, which allows the recovery of that old bond between health personnel and their patients that, was once common and bordered on in the spheres of friendship.

In conclusion, this is an easy and enjoyable book that puts on the table the legal aspect of medical practice, which is usually ignored until we are immersed in a legal conflict that shakes our whole life and affects not only our professional prestige, but also the peace of mind of our families and our own mental health.

This book invites not to exercise a defensive medical practice, but a humanized, capable and quality practice that allows effective communication, without forgetting the legal aspects of the exercise of the health care professions. It does not deny, however, the risk of falling into a defensive health practice with the increase of demands on health personnel.

Therefore, the author’s proposal to recover the old doctor­patient relationship based on mutual trust and empathy, which will lead to effective communication and humanized care, is not only the best defense to which health personnel can appeal, but it is also a desirable practice that allows identifying a horizontal relationship between two or more people who have coincided in a time and place and who try to help each other.

This is a work, that shares the feelings of the health professional as a person, who has felt in his own flesh the shortcomings of our legal system and who, by virtue of this, tries to warn others so that they do not have to go through the same ordeal, without this representing the abandonment of the vocation that led us to study the medical arts, a vocation that, despite the stumbling blocks, is still valid and stronger than ever.