2. • Objectives:
• Enumerate and describe professional qualities and roles of a
physician.
• Demonstrate empathy in patient encounters.
3. • Definition-
• Empathy is ability of physician to
acknowledge the emotional state of
the patient accurately as well as to
demonstrate that understanding to
the patient.
• It is the ability to understand
patient’s feelings to facilitate a
more accurate diagnosis and more
caring treatment.
4. • How to be an empathetic approach to patient care-
• empathy should be incorporated by physicians in their everyday
practice. Kind words and a little emotional support from any physician
can have a measurable impact on patient outcome.
• These simple measures should be adopted –
1. Active listening to your patient-
2. Personal history-
3. Make eye contact-
4. Keep yourself in your patient’s shoes-
5. Treat your patients the way you are treating the family member.
5. • Duties and Responsibilities of the physician in general-
1. Character of Physician- uphold the dignity and honour of his
profession.
2. Maintaining good medical practice- render service to humanity with
full respect for the dignity of profession.
3. Maintenance of medical records-
4. Display of registration numbers-
5. Use of generic names of drugs-
6. Evasion of legal restrictions- the physician shall observe the laws,
acts, rules, regulations made by the central/state government to the
protection and promotion of public health.
6. • Duties of Physicians to their patients-
• Obligation to the sick- doctor should never forget the health and lives
of those entrusted to his care.
• Patience, delicacy and secrecy- patience and delicacy should
characterize the physician.
• Respect for privacy and confidentiality right of the patient.
7. • Responsibilities of physician to each other-
• Dependence of physician on each other- to render gratuitous
service to all physicians and their immediate family
dependents.
• Conduct in consultation- due respect towards the physician
in charge.
• Visiting another Physician case- avoid remarks upon the
diagnosis or the treatment that has been adopted.
8. • Unethical acts- A physician shall not aid or commit any of the
following acts-
• Advertising
• A medical practitioner is however permitted to make a formal
announcement in the press regarding-
• 1. starting practice.
• 2. on change of type of practice.
• 3. on temporary absence from the duty.
• 4. change of address.
9. • Violation of human rights.
• Euthanasia
• A medical practitioner shall not receive any gift, cash or monetary
grants from any pharmaceutical and allied healthcare industry.
