Doctors and patients „in the suburbs” and „in the rose garden”

Summary

The article discusses and compares the portrayal of the relationship between health care professionals and their patients as conveyed in two popular TV series, one from the present day („Surgery in the rose garden 2”) and one from 1977 („The Hospital in the Suburbs”).). The results of the study were divided into six parts describing not only a general perspective of the relationship between the health care professional and the patient (in terms of paternalism and partnership paradigms), but also partial facts that are important in such a relationship (providing patients with information, communication between health care professionals and patients, communication of health care professionals with close relatives of the patients, permitting of visits, compliance of health care professionals with mandatory medical confidentiality, and the image of medical doctors). The most noticeable shift in the relationship between the health care professional and the patient can be observed in their everyday communication, the least noticeable shift, however, can be seen in the compliance with professional confidentiality.

Key words:
relationship between health care professional and patient, health care ethics, TV series, media image