In this paper, the author argues that a rights-based culture has unfairly shifted the balance of power away from the physician to the patient with no corresponding shift in the level of responsibilities. After reviewing various Codes of Ethics and the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, the paper then considers, from a philosophical perspective, how this imbalance may be redressed within a communitarian framework. Specific attention is also given to the primary duties owed by patients to their caregivers.
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