The clinician-patient relationship is an unapologetic reminder that clinical practice is an applied science, and that clinical knowledge only becomes useful through human interaction and application. Through dialog, the relationship serves as a powerful conduit for information flow. This text, utilizing stories of successes and failures I have journaled over 44-years practicing medicine, argues that there is hidden knowledge important to patient care beyond technology's reach that can only be gained through mutual trust, rapport and the right questions asked. But there are many external factors that constrain and strain the clinician-patient relationship. Institutional and cultural restrictions foisted upon medical practice are laden with bureaucratic, political, and economic demands which impinge upon time spent with the patient. Correcting the situation is challenging because many of
9781646033317