© 2000 the Journal of Medical Ethics
Like marriage, without the romance
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Physicians and philosophers have contributed to the field of medical ethics several different paradigms for the physician-patient relationship. Here I suggest another: marriage. Patients usually enter into relationships as we enter marriage: we allow our high hopes to obscure the possibility of deep disappointment. The argument of the essay encourages renewed focus on the contractual element of physician-patient relationships.
Key Words: Relationship • malpractice • emotions • hope • fear • contract • covenant • marriage • expectations
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