The physician-patient relationship: a patient-physician's view.

The physician-patient relationship, like any human relationship, blends two types of interactions described by philosopher Martin Buber. In an "I-It" interaction, the physician objectifies the patient and his or her problem; in an "I-Thou" interaction, the physician perceives the patient as an emotional being. My encounters with medical practitioners as a patient with brachial neuritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome illustrate these forms of the physician-patient relationship.