Abstract

MEZA-RODRIGUEZ, María del Pilar; SANCHEZ-BRAVO, Claudia  and  MANCILLA-RAMIREZ, Javier. Physician-patient relationship in cancer patients. Perinatol. Reprod. Hum. [online]. 2014, vol.28, n.1, pp.41-44. ISSN 2524-1710.

It is a well known fact in the health circle that establishing an adequate rapport with the patient facilitates timely interventions, which in turn can improve the course of the disease. The physician-patient relationship has evolved in order to favor an active participation of the patient in the decision-making process concerning his health and self-care, as well as promoting a more ethical commitment of the health professional through motivating knowledge updating and emphazising the importance of developing communication skills. Cancer patients and their families are particularly vulnerable, since they experience a difficult process due to the social and mental representations of cancer, and the tough decisions they have to make in relation to the disease. The health professional has to develop communication skills to deliver bad news from an ethical, professional and human point of view.

Keywords : Physician; patient; ethics; cancer.

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