MUTUAL CARE IN PALLIATIVE MEDICINE
A Story of Doctors and Patients
Platon Vafiadis
 |
McGraw-Hill 2001
196pp
ISBN 0-07-471066-4
RRP £18.99 $AU 39.95 |
This is an exploration of the dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship in the context of patients with cancer and their GPs (general practitioners or primary care physicians). It is based
on a small study of patients and doctors in Melbourne, Australia. The process is shown to be a dynamic two-way process, which is termed a model of Bi-Directional Care. It emphasizes the effects
that patients and their carers have on decision-making and on the doctors themselves, although its wider application in other settings and different ethnic groups would need to be further researched.
This is an important contribution to the ongoing discussion regarding the assessment and improvement of the doctor-patient relationship
in palliative care. It should be of particular interest to those involved in research and academic departments of general practice.
Roger Woodruff,
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
September 2003
Author Information
Platon Vafiadis is a practising GP and a tutor in the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1. Illness through the eyes of patient and doctor 21
2. Doctor-family interactions 63
3. The challenge of medical uncertainty 98
4. Distance, ownership and role reversal in clinical relationships 126
5. Bi-directional care between doctor and patient: a new model 159
Conclusion 178
Index 193
