Trust: the scarcest of medical resources.
In this paper, I claim that the doctor-patient relationship can be viewed as a vessel of trust. Nonetheless, trust within the doctor-patient relationship has been impaired by managed care. When we conceive of trust as social capital, focusing on the role that it plays in individual and social well-being, trust can be viewed as a public good and a scarce medical resource. Given this, there is a moral obligation to protect the doctor-patient relationship from the cost-containment mechanisms that compromise its ability to produce trust.
Illingworth
Patricia
P
Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. pillingw@lynx.neu.edu
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D004645:Empathy; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009014:Morals; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012941:Social Responsibility; D035502:Trust; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States