Homeopath & patient--a dyad of harmony?
Within the last 20 yr, heterodox medicine has become increasingly popular in western societies. Critics and advocates argue that the physician-patient relationship is a key factor to this success. This study which is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with homeopathic physicians in Berlin questions the notion of a purely consensual interaction. While we can find a certain degree of partnership between homeopathic physicians and their patients, there is a significant amount of negotiation and disagreement as well: The arenas are the revelation of the prescribed homeopathic remedy, patients' expectations, the physicians' fees and differing views on the appropriate duration of consultation. Consequently, a rather complex picture of the physician-patient interaction emerges which challenges the notion of a purely harmony- and consumer-oriented consultation in heterodox medicine. It does not seem possible straightforwardly to apply any of the existing theoretical models to the physician-patient relationship.
Frank
R
R
Facultaet für Soziologie, University of Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany. rog.frank@t-online.de
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001604:Berlin; D003142:Communication; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D032921:Consensus; D006694:Holistic Health; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008419:Materia Medica; D017008:Negotiating; D026706:Paternalism; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research
D008419:Materia Medica