PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

John A Balint

Publications and source records attributed to John A Balint.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

A caring partnership: can we gain control?

BACKGROUND: The health care system in the United States is in trouble. Patients and physicians are becoming increasingly unhappy with the system. There has been a progressive deterioration in trust in the system and in patient-doctor interactions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The history of the evolution of medicine as a profession over the past 350 years is briefly reviewed. The forces that have changed a paternalistic, but caring, system into one that is no longer paternalistic, but also less caring, are discussed. It is suggested that the current market-driven, industrial model is failing both patients and physicians, and that it is too costly. CONCLUSION: The case is presented for patients and physician to join forces to work for reforms of the system, to encourage more physicians to take up careers in primary care, to fund health insurance for the uninsured, and to subsidize the education of future physicians. These approaches should help restore trust and a caring partnership between patients and their physicians. This partnership is necessary for attaining the reforms suggested.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2002

Understanding the dynamics of the patient-physician relationship: balancing the fiduciary and stewardship roles of physicians.

There has been growing concern about the effects on the patient-physician relationship of the increasing demands on physicians to balance their fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities, what has been called "double agency." Various authors have proposed ways to restore patient centeredness to the patient-physician interaction. We have previously discussed the need to establish a patient-physician alliance to achieve this aim and to facilitate achieving this balance in mutual understanding. In this essay, we examine six concepts derived by Michael Balint from research seminars with primary care physicians. These six concepts are (a) the basic fault; (b) the physician's apostolic function; (c) the mutual investment company; (d) the drug "doctor"; (e) the deeper diagnosis; and (f) the conspiracy of anonymity. We believe these six concepts describe basic forces that shape the patient-physician relationship and allow for the development of an alliance between patients and physicians that can help preserve the essentials of the relationship.

Humans↗