Doctors, experts deliberate changing dynamics of doctor-patient relationship
FARIDABAD: Experts drawn from different parts of NCR and elsewhere on Sunday deliberated on changing dynamics of doctor-patient relationship and importance of building such relationship, probably first of such effort made by any health care institute in Faridabad.
More than 500 leading doctors, key opinion makers in the healthcare and medico legal experts from the national capital region, Mathura, Agra and the adjoining areas of Faridabad congregated at a health conclave--illumina organized by QRG Health City. ‘Illumina’, served as a perfect platform where participants discussed and deliberated on the issue of changing dynamics of doctor patient relationship in current times and on issues of dealing with critically ill patients.
Speaking at the inauguration of the meeting Dr Naresh Trehan, CMD Medanta medicity said, “One of the most important and satisfying aspect of a doctors jobs is the relationships and the bonding t hey have with t heir patients”. He added, “scientifically it has been proven strong doctor-patient relationships favorably impact the health outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient commitment to self-management”.
“A word of care and sympathy by a doctor to his patient restore the faith and confidence in treatment and is one of the basic fabric to strengthen the bond between doctor and patient. For all patients communication between the treating doctor and the patient attendant is of utmost importance”, Dr Trehan said.
“The patient attendants tend to gather a lot of unstructured information about the treatment, protocol etc from various unreliable sources, which lead to lot of confusion, doubts and queries. This can be addressed by doctors if they are compassionate, communicative and address concerns as and when they surface”, he added.
Top doctors from different hospitals attending the meeting titled ‘ILLUMINA’ and debated various aspects of trust deficit between the doctor and patients and also on issues of end of life care and graceful death.
Some of the experts said that in recent years the reports of violence against doctors has been reported widely in Indian media and this public anger is largely a result of lack of comprehension of intricacies of the field by public at large.
There was concern expressed on the impatience and anger directed towards the medical fraternity without realising the serious harm this was doing to the profession in the long run.
“Less students today opt for medicine as a career because of the long-time a doctor needs to get settled and established. Finally the few who end up as doctors try and find opportunities abroad as the environment of medical practice in India not conducive. This is going to severely impact the society at large as they will find it hard to find competent doctors in the future generations” said Dr Prabal Roy, Director, Dept of Surgery at QRG Healthcity, Faridabad.
It was an interactive and evocative event that brainstormed over finding ways and means to deal with the nuances of communicating poor outcome to family members and on the role of grief counselling in case of bereavement.
Prof. (Dr.) S.K Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, said, “The relationship between doctors and their patients has received philo- sophical, sociological, and literary attention since Hippocrates, and is the subject of some 8,000 articles, monographs, chapters, and books in the modern medical literature. A robust science of the doctor–patient encounter and relationship can guide decision making in health care”.
“Doctors are a sensitive community and feel greatly pained at the loose and irresponsible comments circulating in news articles and social media. There is so much that doctors do to alleviate pain and sufferings in the society but it is largely ignored. Only negative and poorly researched information finds its way into public discourse. This has to change” said Dr Jitendra Kumar, Director Nephrology and renal transplant at QRG Healthcity, Faridabad
Some of dignitaries who were an integral part of the conclave included Dr RK Sharma, President, Indian Association of medico legal experts, Dr Shiv Sarin, Director, Institute of Bilary Sciences, Dr RK Mani, CEO (medical), Nayati Healthcare, Dr Pradeep Choubey, Max Healthcare, Dr Narottam Puri, Advisior (Health Services) FICCI, Dr Sameer Parikh, Fortis Healthcare, Dr Punita Hasija, President, IMA, Faridabad, Dr Dinesh Hans, President, IMA Guragon and the Head of the Departments of QRG health City.
A word of care and sympathy by a doctor to his patient restore the faith and confidence in treatment. DR NARESH TREHAN, CMD Medanta Medicity