Inequality in the Doctor-patient Relationship

Despite the law concerning rights for those with illnesses, information regarding their state of health and their treatments is not given to all in the same way. Although doctors often endeavor to model their behavior based on the psychological dispositions of specific individuals, their practices are largely influenced by the social characteristics of these individuals. Doctors therefore perform a social selection of recipients of the information, undermining the basis of power of decision that is today recognized as belonging to the patient.