Patients engaging their doctors in the doctor-patient relationship

Abstract

Patient-centred care is considered a cornerstone of effective healthcare. It is an approach that acknowledges the patient as a person rather than a disease and that views the doctor-patient relationship as an alliance. This chapter examines the contributions of patients as co-participants in patient-centred care through a case study of a general practice in Australia: data are 15 audio-recorded doctor-patient consultations which were analysed for features of casual conversation, informed by a functional model of language. The findings suggest that patients actively engaged in contributing to the doctor-patient relationship through social talk, humour, laughter, and reciprocity. Implications are that the construct of ‘relationship-centred care’ may be a better way of envisaging how patients and doctors can collaborate for healthcare goals.