The Changing Role of the Primary Physician and the Involvement of the Professional Nurse in the Handling of Emotional Disorders

摘要

The medical and nursing professions are having to formulate new patterns in patient care relationships. This is the result of the fact that larger numbers of patients are being seen with physiological symptoms which have their roots in emotional conflict. The primary purveyors of health care must, therefore, understand not only the physical, but also the psychological, socio-cultural, and economic aspects of his patients problems. This primary health care team of physician and nurse must be prepared to cope with the many emotional disorders which are the concomitants of physical illness. The team approach lends itself to greater flexibility in the management of the patient with psychosomatic illness.