The doctor, the patient and the relative: an exploratory survey of doctor-relative relationships.
The contacts which doctors have with their patients' relatives are important, and raise interesting and sometimes difficult ethical issues. In order to develop hypotheses about doctor-relative relationships, a sample of 18 general practitioners in east London were interviewed. Their views are summarized in this paper, and from them a number of hypotheses concerning these relationships are proposed. Further research will be needed to test these hypotheses.
Toon
P D
PD
Academic Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England.
Southgate
L J
LJ
D006801:Humans; D010361:Patients; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations