THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN IN THE EMERGING HEALTH-CARE ENVIRONMENT

What do patients want from their physicians? This article reviews rese arch on the role of the physician attained through surveys of the publ ic and of physicians. The results from the two groups are surprisingly similar; communication is seen as an essential component of the physi cian's role. Further, we found that the public's ratings of the medica l profession depend heavily on their experience with personal physicia ns. This paper reviews previous research on the importance of effectiv e communication to patient satisfaction, adherence, and the outcomes o f treatment, and it considers ways in which physician-patient communic ation is being affected by recent changes in the health care system. S uggest-ions for medical education and for the structure of primary and specialty patient care are offered.