Negotiation: a fundamental process in family medicine

Negotiation, a common term in American society, is a process that can be especially useful to family medicine as a specialty that interfaces with many other clinical areas. The basic concepts of the negotiation process, including Maslow's need theory, terminology, and the three phases of the process (ie, planning, implementation, and follow-up), are applied to family medicine. A case study of a successful curriculum negotiation between family medicine and pediatrics is presented, and the use of need theory in the planning phase and during the strategic approach is analyzed. The negotiation process is also applied to faculty contracts, practice management training for residents, clinical teaching, and interdisciplinary relationships as indications of its broad usefulness within family medicine.