As health care has continued to change and evolve, so has the relationship between health-care providers and their patients. The importance of patient choice or autonomy has continued to grow over time and these physician-patient relationships have shifted in response and formed groups that each have their own unique definition of autonomy. An excellent research paper conducted by Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Linda L. Emanuel called the “Four Models of the Physician-Patient Relationship” manages to categorize the physician-patient relationship into four groups and describes how each of them impact the provider-patient relationships of today. The four main categories in which these relationships have been sorted are the parental model, the informative model, the interpretive model and the deliberative model.

Each of these unique models has their own goals and roles for both the physician and patient, which is further explored in the individual model tabs above. Some physicians may prioritize their own opinions over the patients, like in the paternalistic model, while others may simply consider themselves a vessel of information to be delivered to the patient without bias, like in the informative model. Furthermore, some may believe that the patient needs and outside perspective to help them realize what values are most important to the patient, like in the interpretive model, while others may want to focus on only the health related values of treatment, as in the deliberative model. Clearly there is a wide range of how physicians can interact with their patients that can significantly vary with each professional.

My hope is that this website will be a tool to educate physicians on what model best describes their style, or allow others to discover what works best for them. With each model I have provided a description, along with other examples and information, that help clarify what the purpose of the model is. Not everyone may fall into these four categories, but they can definitely help identify what a physician prioritizes while working with patients. Feel free to check out the video below for more info!