title: The medical consultation and the human person.
abstract: The consultation has been described as the most important part of Medicine. The Doctor-Patient Relationship is considered to depend on the trust of the patient in the doctor. This paper seeks to explore fundamental requirements of the consultation by exploring empathy, integrity, and the understanding of the human self, using concepts taken from Neuroscience, Group Analysis, Philosophy and Theology. It then introduces a plan for a study aimed at assessing the impact of a specific form of teaching consultation on the patient.
authors.affiliation: SEPT at Weller Wing, Bedford Hospital, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 9DJ, UK, ma393@cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agius