Relationship Centered Care (RCC)

Patient-physician relationship is an important aspect of medical practice. We see hundreds of patients, and looking back every one will admit that each individual is different. Even with the same disease different people present in a different way, they react differently and they respond to treatment differently. Thus each individual need different approach or they need “special care”. Spending some time with the patient, interacting with him on his concerns and suffering will help the physician choose an individually tailored treatment rather than prescribing the same to all patients with the same disease.

In an era of technological advance it is often accused that the doctor is communicating more with machines than with his patients. The younger generation more often employs technology rather than depending on clinical skills. Medical complexity, interpersonal challenges and administrative burden have been cited as the chief barriers to communication with the patients. This definitely compromises the quality of care. Many efforts to change the behaviour of physicians failed. More over as a result of technology based failures and distractions, many patients have concerns and their expectations are often unmet.

In relationship centered care patients and physicians work together in pursuing shared goals in health care with attention to both illness and personal experiences. Here the both patients and physicians have responsibilities, are willing to negotiate and gain something through their relationship and encounters. It is often better to know the patient and his environment before administering the care. The relationship centered approach involves physician understanding the patient’s perspectives, being responsive to the needs of the patient and sharing treatment relevant power with patient and relatives.

We should always remember that patient-physician relationship is the most consistently reported and powerful determinant of physician satisfaction.