Abstract
The negative consequences of physicians' failure to establish and maintain personal relationships with patients are at the heart of the “humanistic crisis” in medicine. To resolve this crisis, a new model of doctor-patient interaction is proposed, based on the ideas of Martin Buber's philosophy of dialogue. This model shows how the physican may successfully combine the personal (I-Thou) and impersonal (I-It) aspects of medicine in three stages. These “Three Stages of Medical Dialogue” include:
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1.
An Initial Personal Meeting stage, which initiates the doctor-patient relationship and involves mutual confirmation;
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2.
An Examination stage, which requires a shift from a personal to an impersonal style of interaction;
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3.
An Integration Through Dialogue or “Healing Through Meeting’ Stage, which involves the integration of the impersonal medical data into the ongoing dialogue between doctor and patient, as a basis for shared decision-making.
The use of the model, as well as common failures of doctor-patient dialogue are discussed.
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Abramovitch, H., Schwartz, E. Three stages of medical dialogue. Theor Med Bioeth 17, 175–187 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539739
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00539739