Role of doctor in diagnosing & legitimising illness

Question 1

Role of doctor in diagnosing an illness?

Answer 1

• Expected to have up to date knowledge & skills
• To work w/in & know the limits of their competence
• Expected to uphold values of respect & dignity towards the patient, maintain confidentiality, & act ethically & lawfully
• Patients expect doctors to come up w/ an accurate & complete diagnosis, & to show empathy when explaining & discussing treatment
• Being diagnosed gives the patient permission to be ill & assume the sick role
• diagnose based on physical examination of observable structures & using verbal analysis of the patient’s account of the course of the disease

Question 2

Role of doctor in legitimising an illness?

Answer 2

• Important for doctors to legitimate medically unexplained symptoms & work towards improving them when no diagnosis has been reached, instead of treating them as psychological & ignoring the physical symptoms
• Allows patient to feel like legitimate patients & to assume the sick role
• Patients expect doctor to provide emotional support & treatment
• If this is not achieved, in the patients view, they may consider the doctor incompetent for not being able to diagnose their symptoms

Question 3

What are the 2 rights of the doctor?

Answer 3

1. To be treated by society as a professional, w/ a degree of independence.
2. To be allowed access to taboo areas, e.g. the sick person’s body.

Question 4

What are the 2 responsibilities of the doctor?

Answer 4

1. to be competent- keep professional knowledge & skills up to date
   -recognise & work w/in limits of competence.
2. Make the care of your patient 1st concern- treat them w/ respect & work in partnership w/ them.
   - rather then for money, advancement etc

Question 5

What are the conflicts in the doctors role?

Answer 5

Personal values - conflicts between doctor’s own values of the patient’s e.g. abortion, homosexuality, AIDS0

Maintaining confidentiality - e.g. to patient’s parent, spouse etc

Clinical & managerial control - doctors need to treat patients to the best of their ability but people have different expectations of them & there may be scarce staff time, beds & medical equipment

Social control function - doctors must act in the best interest of their patient. They must determine who is sick & healthy & how legitimate a patient’s claims are.