Cure-oriented versus care-oriented attitudes in medicine

This article focuses on the attitudinal component of patient-centredness. The literature reveals that the relationship between cure- and care-oriented attitudes remains to be clarified. The aim of this study is to gain further insight in the relationship between cure and care attitudes by questioning the bipolar unidimensional structure of the concept. By means of an empirical analysis among Belgian medical students, the cure versus care attitudes regarding the 'ideal physician' are investigated. Traits of the ideal physician are described in a bipolar rating scale reflecting cure-oriented versus care-oriented views of the medical profession. Subjects included 88 medical students of the Limburgs University Centre in Diepenbeek, Belgium. Results indicate that the Belgian sample is less care-oriented than the Dutch sample.Further, a factor-analysis reveals two components which correspond with the instrumental (cure) and the affective dimension (care) of the medical profession. The advantages of a two-dimensional framework as a basis for the development of courses aimed at attitude development in the curriculum of a medical school are discussed.