An Sociological Analysis of the External Forms of Doctor-Patient Conflict in Present China / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

Doctor-patient conflict is a social problem in the present phase of medical development in China that has come into being due to the huge gap between the doctor's and the patient's understanding and requirement concerning their roles,rights,obligations and interest.It results from intersection and collision of various social factors.From the sociological perspective,it has been found that the main causes of such a problem include the limited health resources and its uneven distribution;the doctor as the monopoly of medical resources;the doctor and the patient both as seekers of maximal self-interest.According to the conflict theory in sociology,doctor-patient conflict can be classified,in terms of form,degree,and goal of conflict,into direct and indirect conflict,violent and non-violent conflict,and reality and non-reality conflict respectively.Indirect conflict and non-reality conflict deserve special attention because of their hiddenness,latency,and deep influence upon doctor-patient relationship.