On behalf of Pfizer Inc, and the newly established Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, the independent research firm Yankelovich Partners was commissioned to conduct research regarding the patient-physician relationship. Initial focus groups were conducted in the Fall of 1997 to help determine the key issues facing both patients and primary care physicians with regard to their interactions and their relationships. Based upon this insight, Yankelovich conducted a national survey on these same issues.
Patients are satisfied with their physicians and the service that they provide.
In addition, patients state that they have had an ongoing relationship with the same doctor for an average of seven years. Similarly, physicians acknowledge having long-term relationships with the majority of their patients. The fact that both sides strive to develop long-term relationships demonstrates the importance of the human element in health care. Doctors and patients both agree that the old model of physicians as authority figures who control the relationship no longer applies in today's evolving health care environment. Patients look to various sources for their information.