ABSTRACT
Pain, particularly for the patient who is dying, may have multiple meanings. In order to understand and alleviate a patient's pain, doctors need to engage in a process of communication which includes listening, knowing, responding and taking time. The medical profession has come to recognize the dying process as a unique experience for each individual patient. However, people must continue to seek understanding of the personal meaning underlying patients' care decisions. In their qualitative study, B. Miller et al. reported the perceptions of pain by both patients and doctors. In addition, they examined the doctor's role in the 'treatment' of pain. Their findings revealed that both patients and physicians perceived the doctor's role to be a four-stage process which includes listening, knowing, responding and taking time. Finally, the doctor took the time necessary for a quality interaction to occur.
