Abstract
Political, legal, ethical, social, economic, and technological changes in the twentieth century have produced a profound effect on the health care and health status of Americans and the way in which physicians and patients communicate. In the latter half of this century, the responsibility for individual health care has shifted from a physician-oriented, paternalistic approach to a patient-centered one. Patients now assume two identities: health consumers and active participants in the medical decision-making process. This phenomenon has created an environment where consumer demand for information has shifted from a single focus on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases to an increasing preoccupation with cost, quality, and access to health care. This shift emphasizes the critical role played by medical librarians in the dissemination of needed information, and it challenges librarians to take a leadership role in opening newer channels of communication between physicians and patients. The 1992 Janet Doe Lecture analyzes the evolutionary change in the physician-patient relationship and its modes of communication, projects future roles for medical librarians, and provides an extensive list of references for further reading.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Armstrong D. What do patients want? BMJ. 1991 Aug 3;303(6797):261–262. doi: 10.1136/bmj.303.6797.261. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bowman M. A. Good physician-patient relationship = improved patient outcome? J Fam Pract. 1991 Feb;32(2):135–136. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Burnum J. F. La maladie du petit papier. Is writing a list of symptoms a sign of an emotional disorder? N Engl J Med. 1985 Sep 12;313(11):690–691. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198509123131110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Donnelly W. J. Righting the medical record. Transforming chronicle into story. JAMA. 1988 Aug 12;260(6):823–825. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fox R. C. The medicalization and demedicalization of American society. Daedalus. 1977 Winter;:9–22. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ganz P. A. Treatment options for breast cancer--beyond survival. N Engl J Med. 1992 Apr 23;326(17):1147–1149. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199204233261708. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lazare A. Shame and humiliation in the medical encounter. Arch Intern Med. 1987 Sep;147(9):1653–1658. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lenz E. R. Information seeking: a component of client decisions and health behavior. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 1984 Apr;6(3):59–72. doi: 10.1097/00012272-198404000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lidz C. W., Appelbaum P. S., Meisel A. Two models of implementing informed consent. Arch Intern Med. 1988 Jun;148(6):1385–1389. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- O'Dowd T. C. Five years of heartsink patients in general practice. BMJ. 1988 Aug 20;297(6647):528–530. doi: 10.1136/bmj.297.6647.528. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rees A. M. Characteristics, content, and significance of the popular health periodicals literature. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1987 Oct;75(4):317–322. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reiser S. J. Consumer competence and the reform of American health care. JAMA. 1992 Mar 18;267(11):1511–1515. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Relman A. S. Assessment and accountability: the third revolution in medical care. N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 3;319(18):1220–1222. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198811033191810. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Roper W. L., Winkenwerder W., Hackbarth G. M., Krakauer H. Effectiveness in health care. An initiative to evaluate and improve medical practice. N Engl J Med. 1988 Nov 3;319(18):1197–1202. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198811033191805. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Strull W. M., Lo B., Charles G. Do patients want to participate in medical decision making? JAMA. 1984 Dec 7;252(21):2990–2994. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]