Respect and patient-physician communication

The New York Times Health section had an interesting article today, written from a doctor's perspective, about the power of names. The question is: how should physicians and patients address each other? Should physicians insist on being called "Doctor"? Should patients insist on being called Mr. or Ms.? Is a title a show of respect or detachment? When a physician or patient calls the other by his or her first name, is it a way of demeaning the other? Are we over-thinking all of this? The article generate passionate response from both physicians and patients.

The fact that the issue of titles is a concern at all shows the inherent difficulty in effective physician-patient communication. Both parties wield a certain amount of power: one of expertise in a field, one of ultimate control of their body and where they take it. There is a need for respect in this communication relationship, but also a need for intimacy. How do you balance formality and respect with the intimate nature of physician-patient communication and clinical exams? And what do you call each other when you do it?