9. Professional relationships with patients - maintaining trust

 Successful relationships between doctors and patients depend on trust. To establish and maintain that trust you must:
• listen to patients and respect their views
• treat patients politely and considerately
• respect patients’ privacy and dignity
• treat information about patients as confidential. If in exceptional circumstances you feel you should pass on information without a patient’s consent, or against a patient’s wishes, you should follow your guidance on confidentiality and be prepared to justify your decision;
• give patients the information they ask for or need about their
condition, its treatment and prognosis. You should provide
information to those with parental responsibility where patients are under 16 years old and lack the maturity to understand what their condition or its treatment may involve, provided you judge it to be in the child’s best interests to do so;
• give information to patients in a way they can understand;
• be satisfied that, wherever possible, the patient has understood
what is proposed, and consents to it, before you provide treatment or investigate a patient’s condition;
• respect the right of patients to be fully involved in decisions about their care;
• respect the right of patients to decline treatment or decline to take part in teaching or research;
•respect the right of patients to a second opinion;
GMC Good Medical Practice, paragraph 12.1–12.10

The excellent GP
- treats patients politely and with consideration
- focuses his or her full attention on the patient
- takes care for the patient's privacy and dignity, especially during physical examinations
- obtains informed consent to treatment
- respects the right of patients to refuse treatments or tests
- gives patients the information they need about their problem, in a way they can understand
- involves patients in decisions about their care
- keeps patients' information confidential - including consulting in private to make sure that confidential information is not overheard

The unacceptable GP
- consistently ignores, interrupts, or contradicts his or her patients
- is careless of the patient's dignity, and assumes his or her willingness to submit to examination without seeking permission
- makes little effort to ensure that the patient has understood his or her condition, its treatment, and prognosis
- is careless with confidential information
- fails to obtain patients' consent to treatment
- consistently dismisses patients' requests for a second opinion