Informative Model

780 Words2 Pages

Throughout history, the doctor-patient relationship has evolved considerably. Dating back to ancient times, the interaction between doctor and patient began as a purely paternalistic model in that the doctor’s attitude on treatment took precedence over everything else, including the patient’s desires and values. It was not until the late twentieth century that medicine began to utilize a model placing more emphasis on patient autonomy. In order to keep in line with the legal standards of informed consent and medical malpractice, the use of an “informative model” was implemented, turning physicians essentially into technician specialists who are knowledgeable about medicine and treatments. Such a doctor-patient relationship model neglects …show more content…

In today’s medical practice, the doctor-patient relationship predominantly conforms to the “informative model,” in which the physician acts as a glorified technician, providing the patients with all the necessary information on their illness and treatment options, while failing to provide them with any professional advice or analysis on their best possible options. This model, while providing freedom and control over medical decisions, does not constitute true patient autonomy. It is “an oversimplification [of autonomy] to define it as simply permitting a person to select, unrestricted by coercion, ignorance, physical interference, … his or her preferred course of action from a comprehensive list of available options” (Emanuel 85). That is, control over medical decisions alone does not constitute patient autonomy, as frequently, patients in these scenarios cannot make sense of most of the information given to them by their physician, either due to lack of knowledge or the presence of emotional stress. Thus, individuals are left to make decisions regarding their life’s future without truly understanding all the options. The adoption of the deliberative model would not only eliminate this issue completely, but would also prompt improved prognosis of patients, as physicians would be allowed the right to guide …show more content…

With the domination of the informative model seen throughout today’s medical practices, many physicians lack the capacity to articulate and persuade patients of the values underlying their treatment recommendations and are thus demoted to serving as “information machines.” Implementation of the deliberative model in medicine would serve as an effective means of encouraging a more caring approach, in that physicians would “cultivate a partnership with the patient and together, negotiate a management plan which allows for physician’s professional recommendations and for patient’s ideas, concerns and expectations” (Chin 154). Rather than utilizing a model in which there is typically poor understanding of one another’s goals and values, the mutual approach to treatment seen in the deliberative model would facilitate trust, as well as understanding, in the doctor-patient

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