The physician as comforter

Patients, their families and even physicians themselves have commented on the lack of communication skills, empathy and concern for the psychosocial aspect of patient care among doctors of today. The call by many in the medical community for a renewed commitment to professionalism is partially in response to these concerns. Recently, medical ethics has focused on technical legal issues but ethics also has much to contribute on issues relating to the doctor-patient relationship. By analyzing traditional religious attitudes toward this relationship one can develop universal insights that still have much relevance to modern medicine for physicians and patients of all faiths.