The Art of Dealing with the Patient

Opinion

A medical practitioner always has to deal with the patients. Patients are their assets. Patients of diversified personality come to the doctor with the sufferings of different character. Every patient presents different types of their ailments. Their presentations about their sufferings are also different. To be a successful physician one must deal with the patients with utmost caution, sincerity and care. The main aim of a physician is to satisfy the patient in all respects within the range of the ethics.

Conflict and difficulty in dealing with the patient is not a new thing. The physicians, in most of the times, perhaps were harassed, by the patients and their guardians even in the ancient times, when the physicians were placed at a place “like god”. Hence, to protect them from the wicked class of the society, medical ethics were advised. In many references, in the Ayurvedic literatures written thousands of years before Christ like Charaka Samhita, Susruta Samhita, Ashtanga Sangraha/Ashtanga Hridaya advise the rules to be followed by a physician at the time of dealing with the patients /their guardians.

Some Examples of Rules Advised to the Physicians are Cited as example here

1. A student of medical science (Ayurveda) should be admitted in an institute after thorough screening. Screening should be done with special reference to family background and physical and mental health. Test for intelligence, presence of mind, honesty are the important components of the examination. Physical disease/deformity / handicap are the disqualifications for an intending medical student.

Opinion

2. Every student should learn the art of diagnosis, prognostitization, selection of drugs properly. Success in treatment is always dependent upon these three factors. Any fault in any of these three will definitely invite failure and defamation. 3. A physician should always try to learn more and gather experience and knowledge from the surroundings, friends, and colleagues and even from the common people. 4. Appearance, dress and behavior of the physician should always be impressive and convincing. The patient should get inspiration and confidence from the physician. 5. At the time of treating a patient the physician should follow the following principles-

• Treat the patient with curable disease with love and sympathy
• Avoid the patient with incurable disease by informing the patient/guardian. If such patient is to be treated then treatment should be started only after getting proper permission. 6. Never give a medicine that is not known in detail with special reference to its property, quality, method of use, side effect, precaution etc. 7. Never express the prognosis to the patient /guardian without proper assessment of the situation. Sometimes it should be expressed to the patient, sometimes to the guardian and sometimes to the friends/neighbors. Insincerity may cause harm. 8. Specially when a king (socially reputed person, rich person, persons holding important position in the administration /society) is to be treated then a permission should be taken either from the patient or from his/her office. 9. A physician should always avoid lone contact with a female.

The prime duty of a physician to try to provide optimum benefit to the patient. Ayurvedic scholars define “TREATMENT” as the measures (medicines, procedures etc.) that can eliminate diseases without causing any untoward effect.

Expertness, Intelligence, Personality and Caution are the Key of Success of a Physician