An analysis of the changing doctor-patient relationship in China.

As China is undergoing marketization and privatization, the doctor-patient relationship (DPR) is changing, posing numerous social problems such as a trust crisis. In this article, the authors look at the characteristics of the DPR, and then present an historical account of the changing features of the Chinese DPR. In the final section, they explain how Chinese traditional culture is important for rebuilding the DPR in reform-era China and make suggestions for its health care reform.