Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

 
2. The patients’ expectations from their doctors 
Parsons depicted the role of sick people as involving four general 
expectations.
First,
sick people are allowed, and might even be required, to give 
up some of their normal activities and responsibilities, such as going to 
work or playing football.
Second,
they are regarded as being in need of care. These two 
expectations and privileges are, however, contingent on the sick person 
fulfilling the 
third
 
obligation of wanting to get well as quickly as 
possible, and the
fourth
of seeking professional medical advice and, 
most importantly for the doctor–patient relationship, cooperating with 
the doctor. Parsons points out that the specific expectations of the sick 
person, such as the number and type of activities the person is expected 
to give up, will be influenced by the nature and severity of the condition. 
It is also recognized that not all illness requires people to relinquish their 
normal social roles and occupy the status ‘sick’. For example, much 
minor illness is coped with without recourse to the doctor and does not 
require any changes to a person’s everyday life. Similarly, people with a 
chronic illness might need to consult the doctor regularly, but rather than 
occupying a permanent sick role they are generally expected to try to 
achieve their maximum level of functioning and to occupy the status 
‘sick’ only if they experience a change in their usual health.
 
Usually, patients want many things from their doctors, not all of 
which are possible. Below, however, is a list of things that patients seem 
to want from their doctor and which should be possible. 
Eye contact.
There is nothing worse than walking into a consulting 
room and not getting any eye contact from the doctor. 
Partnership.
Patients want to be people who doctors do things 
with, not people that doctors do things to. Patients want to be consulted 

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about their condition, their treatment, and how things will progress from 
the consultation. 
Communication.
Communication between doctor and patient is 
the key to a successful consultation. Many patients still feel that they are 
entering “foreign territory” when they go to see their doctor. In many 
cases they are scared, they don't understand what the doctor is saying, 
and they are not able to take everything in that they are told. Just as doc-
tors may have trouble understanding a patient's explanation of symp-
toms, so patients may have trouble understanding a doctor's explanation 
of the diagnosis. 
Time.
Patients want to spend more time with their doctor: they 
want time to be able to explain things and have things explained to 
them. We all know that there is a shortage of doctors, and we know that 
a doctor's time is valuable. However, if one wish could be granted for 
patients it would be for more time with their doctor.