Comparative critique of the therapeutic relationship in medicine versus that in osteopathy

Kate Davidson

Introduction

The face-to-face meeting of practitioner and patient is not only a clinical encounter, it is a social one. While sophisticated technologies may be used for medical diagnosis and treatment, inter-personal communication is the primary tool by which the therapist and the patient exchange information. Studies have shown that patients base their evaluation of a practitioner’s expertise on the quality of their inter-personal skills rather than their medical skills (Blanchard et al, 1983; Roberts, 1985). There has been considerable research which has demonstrated beneficial effects on patient outcomes from the social aspects of the clinical encounter (Stewart, 1984; Buller & Buller, 1987; Little et al, 2001; Kinnersley et al, 1999; Kaplan et al, 1989b). It is suggested therefore, that it is the synergism of therapeutic relationship and treatment that leads to the overall effect of the consultation. In this light this human meeting is a vital facet of clinical practice. This critique aims to compare the osteopath-patient relationship with that of the doctor-patient relationship of orthodox biomedicine.