The impact of the Epistemological Doctrines of Buber's dialogical philosophy upon the improvement of doctor-patient relationship

Studies have shown that an effective relationship between doctor and patient can increase compliance to treatment prescriptions and improve health outcome and both doctor and patient's satisfaction, decrease hospitalization time, treatment costs, medical and drug mistakes and complaints against doctors. Lack of proper relationship between doctor and patient leads misunderstanding, lack of complying from doctors' recommendation, lack of satisfaction and other undesirable outcomes. The type of this relationship depends on conditions of cooperation and doctors-patient's beliefs about the desirable position of responsibility and power. So far, several studies have been done on this topic. Although Martin Buber, twentieth century philosopher never wrote anything directly about medicine, his "dialogical philosophy", in particular the distinction he had between the two ways human beings could deal with, namely "I It relation", which requires an active, determining subject and a passive, determined object and "I Thou relationship", in which both parties are equal partners since both are simultaneously active and passive, we can learn much about the nature of doctor-patient relationship.