Different models in the approach to the doctor-patient relationship

In the last years the doctor-patient relationship has been the subject of many studies. However, the framework in which this relationship is approached is not always specified. The doctor-patient relationship is a specific form of interpersonal relationship. But this does not exclude that different models, formulated in the approach to interpersonal relationships in general, can also be applied to the doctor-patient relationship: the communication model, the socio-cultural model, the model of medical transference and the model of human encounter. According to a given model, specific expectations of patient and doctor emerge and their interaction processes are formulated in specific concepts. The choice of a given model should be determined by the characteristics of a given medical situation and/or the objectives pursued.