ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the extent to which trust underpins the doctor–patient relationship. It focuses on the relevance of truthfulness in the promotion of trust between patients and their God particles (GPs). Individuals gain personal trust and institutions social trust. The chapter aims to study the relevance of truth-telling in relation to trust, but the relevance of compassion or empathy merits a brief mention. Several authors articulate the need for compassion or empathy in order for trust to develop in the doctor–patient relationship. In the film The Doctor, John Hurt plays a prima donna thoracic consultant who succumbs to throat cancer. The doctor–patient relationship forms the bedrock of general practice. There is an overwhelming multiplicity of models. By placing them under the umbrella of different meta-ethical systems, this diversity becomes more manageable. The other models founded on reciprocity, narrative and virtue hold greater promise for trust and the doctor–patient relationship.
