âThe consultation is part of the cycle of care, where patients should learn about their diseases, come to terms with their conditions and also be given the opportunity to share in their management. The importance of the consultation in Family Medicine cannot be overemphasized. Consultation occurs only because it is the surest path-way to reaching the patientâs problems with a view to solving them after attaining a workable diagnosis. Patients are major contributors to the consultation and are bound to have major effects on it.
Patients and physicians alike come to the consultation table with different agendas and this is most obvious in primary care where many patients present with undifferentiated symptoms. In Western Countries, physiciansâ attributes that enhance the attainment of rewarding consultation with patients have been extensively studied but there appears to be a paucity of data from developing countries. The relationship between the physician and patient is at the heart of clinical medicine and is subject to a number of powerful forces: cultural, social, economic and psychological and itself exerts a powerful influence on the patientâs response to illness. Continuity of care is enhanced in patients with chronic illnesses where there had been a building up of much confidence in the physician, following an initial positive consultation processâ. Journal of general practice is one of the journal that deals with different issues during patient consultations. The journal gave importance to issues related to physians as well as patients with same importance and enthusiasm Okokon IB et al. The Consultation in Primary Care: Physician Attributes that Influence Patients Satisfaction in Calabar, Nigeria. .
Last date updated on April, 2024
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