HEALTHCARE AND RELATIONSHIPS

Healthcare Services: Importance of Relationships

[Name of the Institute]

Healthcare Services: Importance of Relationships

Introduction

Healthcare access is one the prime concern in the healthcare sector. Healthcare access is directly linked to healthcare policies, demand supply and behavioural aspects of people involved. Although Health insurance is a necessity for better healthcare system, there are many other variables which make a healthcare system effective. The patient cantered healthcare is achieved by providing high quality healthcare services which include healthcare institutes, as well as healthcare providers.

The Case of Trust

The understanding between patient and doctor forms the behavioural aspect of healthcare. Many people who have healthcare insurance do not take health seriously. The reason is that they do not feel open towards their healthcare provider. It is the trust that drives the patient-doctor relationship. A classic example of breach of trust is the case Robert Courtney, who gave diluted drugs to cancer patients. The effects, of this breach of trust, are still discussed in various medical-related forums.

Relationships between Patients and doctors have discrete features. The severe effect linked with health changes result in patients being anxious. This nervousness is multiplied as patients will stop trusting the advice of their healthcare providers. Patients will not rely on information provided to them by physicians.

According to Lucy Gilson, trust is defined as, “the optimistic acceptance of a vulnerable situation in which the trustor believes that the trustee will care for the trustor's interests” (Calnan & Rowe 2006, pp. 349). This definition underpins many key elements of relationship based on trust and the implications for interpersonal behaviours. The relationship is guided through established laws, customs and rules. At the Macro level, we talk about the relationship of the general public to the overall system of healthcare. At the micro level, the relationship is formed between individual physician and patient, between physician and his/her manager or between two physicians. The definition also involves the idea of risks and vulnerability, and it is based on the expectations of patient that his/her doctor would provide the appropriate advice. The situation of uncertainty calls for the building of trust.

Health issues are concerns with high uncertainty where the patient is desperate to live a healthy life and commits his expectations with his healthcare provider. This is the reason why trust plays an important role in patient-doctor relationship as the situation is plotted in an uncertain environment. This clarifies why the majority of definitions of trust merge expectations about competence, ability and knowledge of the doctor with expectations about his/her ethics, integrity, ethics and motives. Before discussing the concepts and importance of integrity, motives and ethics in doctor-patient relationship, let's discuss the rights and responsibilities of people involved (Garcia-Retamero & Galesic 2009, pp. 1).

Rights and Responsibilities

Both healthcare providers and patients have responsibilities and rights in the healthcare affiliation.

Health Care Provider Rights:

Expects that the patient will meet his/her responsibilities.

Provide health care to different patients and not have unnecessary demands at a time from an individual patient

Be treated with courtesy and respect.

Be free from requirements of doing ...