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Abstract

Doctor and patient meet in a circle of feelings determined by suffering. Sensitivity to the suffering is an axis determining the nature of the doctor and patient relationship. The patient's experience of an illness is individual, private, and very often difficult to describe. But the possibility to understand the suffering of another person comes from the fact that suffering is a universal feeling. We propose to enter the world of patient's experience by writing a letter to a doctor, which would reflect their experiences and expectations towards him. This was the task required for 120 students of the second year of medicine and dentistry education.

Student Role in Discussion of Diagnosis with Patients

“…A student is often able to sit and talk with a patient for long periods of time, so that he or she can understand the story and chronology of that patient's disease. The patient may look on the student as a friend and ally in an often frightening time and place [3]. The student may also communicate some of the patient's questions and anxieties to the attending physician.…”