Chronically diseased patients and their doctors.

The doctor-patient relationship reflects the role of the physician in society and has thus experienced substantial changes over time. Medical authority can be dissected into three elements, all of which appear essential for any doctor-patient relationship: sapiental authority, i.e. professional competence as called for e.g. by the system of evidence-based medicine; moral authority (paternalism); and charismatic-empathic authority (to treat any patient like a friend). These elements are mirrored by chronically diseased patients who want to be seen as either consumers, clients or patients. The healthcare system needs these three elements to be maintained and further developed and medical school education needs to focus more specifically on these basics of patient care.