Doctor, Tell me I am Sick: Physician Response to Patient Psyco-Social Problems

Considerable evidence indicates that non-psychiatric physicians devote considerable time in dealing with the psychosocial problems of patients. At the same time little is known about the kinds of problems patients present or how the physician responds to these problems. In an effort to determine both the kinds of problems presented and physician response, direct observation of physician/patient interactions and content analysis of patient records were carried out. Five dominant responses of physicians were identified and discussed in detail. In addition, patient expectations and interactions with physicians are explored.