Summary
BMJ opinion piece from BMJ Chair Richard Smith.
Content
"Many years ago I argued that there is a bogus contract between doctors and patients.1 Patients have an exaggerated idea of how much doctors can heal them, while doctors are painfully conscious of their limited powers. Doctors are reluctant to be fully honest about their limitations, partly worrying that their therapeutic potential might be reduced, but also perhaps worrying about loss of status, salary, and even power. For patients it's satisfying to think that doctors can fix whatever is wrong with you, meaning the bogus contract continues. But I see signs of it cracking. It's time for patients to 'take back control,' recognising that those with the power—doctors in this case, although they may not choose to acknowledge it—rarely give it up without a struggle."
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