Resumen

RODRIGUEZ SILVA, Héctor. Physician-patient relationship. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2006, vol.32, n.4, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3127.

Several aspects of personal relationships, with emphasis on the specific particularities of the physician-patient-family relationships and how they have changed in the course of time, were reviewed. Their characteristics were defined and classified into active/passive, guided cooperative and mutual participatory relationship. Different stages of these relationships, their importance and most frequent deficiencies were specified. The present situation of capitalist countries with the neoliberal system, where health services are under control of private and insurance companies that turn medical services into another trading line, was explained. Lastly, both positive and negative aspects of the impact of the technological development in recent years were also commented on

Palabras clave : Ethics; physician-patient relationship; medical care; clinical practice.