A vow of connectedness: views from the road to Beaver's farm.

The doctor-patient relationship lies at the heart of family practice. Yet in a digital age, our understanding of this relationship has been trimmed to a transaction between free agents that can be fully measured and isolated in time. The vow of connectedness restores the broader view. We know that lasting change-in attitude and behavior, toward healing and hope-arises from those relationships that encompass the doctor, his or her patients, and our common connections in the communities we serve.