Well, That Could Have Gone Better

Most physician-patient relationships take little effort. The physician acts with the kindness, patience, empathy, and professionalism that they have brought to the field and honed over years of training and practice. However, there are a subset of patients with whom, to be successful, the doctor needs insight into their own weaknesses and countertransference. In this reflection, the author recounts his troubled relationship with a patient. The source of the tension was the physician's countertransference. Self-awareness allows a physician to understand how countertransference can threaten good medical care and how it can be managed.