We often talk about the concept of being either patient-or doctor-centred. We care either only about our patients or ourselves. Some may equate this with being caring or uncaring, generous or selfish. The issue is, in my view, more complex. You may be neither one nor the other. Can we be both?The concept of patient- or doctor-centredness can relate to the organization and be more systemic, or to an individual's consultation style (with, for example, distinctive use of communication skills and decision making). Do we focus purely on the patient's presentation or do we focus on our clinical targets and blood results? How do we balance this in the precious 10 minutes of our consultations? Even the description of targets as 'ours' rather than 'theirs' betrays a subtle dicotomy. Is there a spectrum of doctor- versus patient-centredness, or is it binary?
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