Special considerations in the care of the physician-patient: a lesson for medical education.

In the field of medicine, there is strong emphasis on the healing of others, but not as much on the healing of self. It is therefore not surprising that physicians may be ill-equipped to not only care for other physicians, but to be treated as patients. Multiple studies indicate that relatively few physicians have their own primary physicians and often rely on self-treatment, rather than obtaining comprehensive care from other physicians. Through the lens of a personal struggle with serious illness, the author develops a discussion about potential barriers physicians face in seeking care, the downstream effects of physicians' perceptions of health care, and ways to make changes to prevailing physician health attitudes. Potential changes at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education levels are considered, in order to help physicians both to embrace their roles as patients and also better serve their colleagues who are under their care.