Page 75 - Binder - English for Doctors
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G. Culture tip
Doctors frequently need to deal with patients’ family members as well as the patient
him-/herself. Family members expect to be fully informed – as far as the patient’s right to
privacy allows. They expect the doctor to be a sympathetic figure and not an impersonal,
robot-like medical expert. The doctor should use appropriate language to sympathize with
them and spend as much time as his/her busy schedule allows answering the family’s
questions and concerns.
