Education and counselling as components of care in person-centered medicine

Main Article Content

James Appleyard

Abstract

Two of the core components of the duties of physicians as doctors is to educate those who seek their professional services as patients and to counsel them so that they are able to improve and sustain their wellbeing [1]. This can only be fully achieved within a professional relationship of service to an individual patient, as a person when the physician recognises as a person and where the clinical relationship is based on trust [2]. Confidence in such a relationship grows from the knowledge and skills that the physician is able to apply within a trusted ethical framework. Following the Hippocratic tradition, the World Medical Association re-established physicians' ethical 'contract' with individuals and communities after World War II with its Declaration of Geneva and its subsequent associated Statements [3,4]. The duty of care to the individual with respect for the autonomy of each patient is central.

Article Details

Section
Clinical and Electronic Communication
Author Biography

James Appleyard, British Medical Association International Association of Medical Colleges

Past President World Medical AssociationVice President of the British Medical AssociationHon Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the International Association of Medical Colleges 2007-President of the WMA Sept 2003-2004with special areas of interest in Human Rights, Child Health, and Health DatabasesProfessional Work Consultant Children’s Physician at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital from 1971-1998 Professor of Pediatrics, 1985-1995. Dean of Clinical Studies (UK) 1995-1997  St George’s University, Grenada W.I.Dean of Clinical Sciences, Kigezi International School of Medicine, Uganda 2000-2004 British Medical AssociationA Chief Officer for nine years as Chairman of Representative Body 1992-1995.and then as Treasurer 1996-2002 Ethics Chair of the WMA Ethics Committee 1995-1999 Member of the BMAs Ethics Committee 1992-2003Member of the East Kent Research Ethics Committee 2006- Treasurer and (Vice President)  of the British .Paediatric Association. 1983-1988PublicationsOn neonatal topics including coagulation disorders of the New Born,Children with disabilities, medical education, manpower and medical ethics in peer reviewed journals

References

Educate – to lead forth. Short Oxford English Dictionary 1970 p534

The Essence of Medical Professionalism. International Association of Medical Colleges 2008 www.iaomc.org/ec.htm

WMA International Code of Medical Ethics 2006 www.wma.net/publications

WMA Declaration of Geneva 1948 Revised 2006 www.wma.net/publications

Miles, A. & Mezzich, J.E. (2011). The Care of the patient and the soul of the Clinic; person centered medicine as an emergent model of modern clinical practice. International Journal of Person Centered Medicine 1 (2) 207-222.

Appleyard, W.J. (2011). A personal approach to person centered paediatric care. Journal of Evaluation of Clinical Practice 17 (2) 376-378.

Cloninger, C.E. & Cloninger, K.M. (2011). Person Centered Therapeutics. International Journal of Person Centered Medicine 1 (1) 43-52.