The doctor–patient relationship is under pressure in today’s fast-paced and digital healthcare system. Experts stress that trust, clear communication, and empathy are key to restoring this bond. Dr. Aashish Chaudhry and Dr. Devi Shetty highlight the importance of mutual understanding, especially in critical care. Prof. Dr. M. Wali and Dr. Harsh Pillai emphasize emotional connection and treating the relationship as sacred. Prof. Srivats Bharadwaj urges a return to human-centric care, while others warn that misinformation and the decline of family doctors are worsening mistrust. A collective shift in mindset is needed to rebuild this vital relationship.

Shahid Akhter, Editor, Healthyouonline, spoke to various doctors to figure out why the doctor–patient relationship is deteriorating, what factors are eroding trust, and how both sides—doctors and patients—can rebuild this sacred bond through empathy, communication, and human connection.

Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, 

MD, Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, NEW DELHI 

The doctor-patient relationship in the 21st century is something that we all worry about, and I feel that if we focus on both sides, a doctor focuses on the communication, the surgical skill, and the responsibility of taking the treatment.In today's digital world and today's time, when nobody has got enough time to ponder upon their thoughts and, you know, look at the positive aspects, I think that is something that is going to kill the doctor-patient relationship big time. 

We must focus on the positive qualities and positive values in that relationship. Because unless the doctor and patient come on a common platform, they start having trust in each other. I think treatment is going to go for us, and people on both sides are going to be more defensive in whatever they do, rather than doing the best for each other. 

Dr. Devi Shetty,

Chairman and Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Narayana Health, BENGALURU

This is the only profession where the relationship between the client and the professional, like me, who provides the service. The discussion is about death. There is no other profession where the relationship is based on or revolving around death. So it's a very sensitive and extremely complex relationship.

It is very important that the patient reveal everything he has without really hiding anything. Because we make decisions based on what they say. So the most important thing is trust for this relationship to happen.  

Prof. Dr. M. Wali, 

Sr. Consultant, Dept. of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, NEW DELHI

‘’Doctor patient relationship is a very, very tender branch of medical practice. What is the most important thing when you meet a new patient? My answer is connect. Once connected, I can read a different sharpness in the eyes of a patient. You can read the change in his expression. You talk to your patient for a few minutes, and you pay attention to your patient, and then you start seeing these changes. This is what I call connect. C o n n e c t.

And once this connection develops, then you are the best person in the patient's life, and nobody can beat you. But if before developing the connection the patient gets annoyed or suspicious or thinks you are not paying attention, the patient would feel sad or isolated. It is a very common thing to see a doctor chatting over mobile during a consultation. This is very suicidal for our profession, and it should never happen. Immediately the patient would feel bad, and he has no right to express it !

What I tell to my colleagues is to do something positive. 'Oh, you have come.' Saying this much does not require any wisdom. It will start to connect, and then, 'Oh, this report is better than the previous one.' Now you have connected to the tune of 50%. 

You are doing very well. 75% What can I offer you? More. What else? What else do you want to tell me? 100%. You are connected. Now the patient can discuss personal problems, all problems, sexual problems, depression, and everything. But unless you take him on to the right track, the patient will go dissatisfied and will think of another doctor.''

Dr. Harish Pillai, 

CEO, Metro Pacific Health, PHILIPPINES 

Doctor patient relationship is like your relationship with God Almighty. It's so sacred. It's very personal. You can never breach the trust between the two. And as long as you think it's a very sacred, relationship and you know that you have done your best. I think that is, that is more than enough. If you do your best as a doctor to the patient and the patient, trust you implicitly.  

I think the relationship is an honor. Equal, strong pedestal. I have seen that, sometimes doctors being humans, they do make mistakes. But when the relationship is strong, patients can be very forgiving.  

Dr. A Kumarswamy, 

Dentist, PerioFamily Advanced Dentistry, MUMBAI

You understand that it is easier to treat an informed patient at the same time, a bit difficult to treat the misinformed patient. Patients appreciate being educated before they reach clinics. Thanks to the social media and information floating around and Google and other universities. So when they come to us, they are pre-informed. Our job as dentists is to write on a clean slate by erasing whatever information they have.

So we tell them, please set that aside for the moment. Listen to what my findings are and what my diagnosis is. What are the options that I give you for your treatment? And then you can pick and choose. 

Prof. Dr. Srivats Bharadwaj,

The League Of Dentists, BENGALURU 

A doctor patient relationship is a very unique and can be a very rewarding, as well as a very profound one for a lifetime to come. Because as a doctor, you receive people who are in discomfort and pain, and what more great opportunity you have given by nature to help somebody recover from their, you know, issues or disability. Unfortunately, in the system of medicine that is being taught to us in medical schools or in dental schools, on as health care professionals, the human aspect of relationships is never taught, which is actually constituting 90% or more of our care and the recovery of the patient.  

Unfortunately, today we are all taught just how to do a procedure, how to learn more about a disease or a condition. That's great, we all need to know. But ultimately, in practice, you are treating another human being. You are not treating a chair on a computer. So it is very important to develop these human skills. Human skills are not soft skills or hard skills.

They are different. Human skills is the ability to listen. Human skill is the ability to feel the pain of the other person. Human skill is the ability to handhold the other person. Despite any discomfort that you may feel that you feel that serving the other person is far more important than my own self. That is a very important aspect that a doctor must have, What do patients expect from a doctor? And you will be surprised to see that it is never his degree, never his skill. It is always the patient asking, I need a doctor who spends time with me. 

Dr Ang Peng Tiam, 

Medical Director, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, Parkway Cancer Centre, SINGAPORE

I can't say that the doctor patient relationship is single dimension, in fact, is multifaceted. In certain situations, I think that things have changed for the better. But I can also tell you that things have changed for the worse in the system now. We are required to tell the patients all the options and allow the patients to choose. But let's be realistic. What does the patient fully understand despite all the disclosure? That's where I find that there may be some limitations in the legal process. 

Prof. (Dr) P. K. Sasidharan, 

Former HOD Medicine and Hematology, Govt Medical College, KOZHIKODE

Doctor patient relationship is deteriorating due to missing family doctors. This would not have happened if the relationship with the family doctor is  firm and stable. They are the best people to develop that and guide the patients. And, there will be nothing wrong happening between, family doctor and patient. The relation will always be secure and safe and strong. 

Now the patient is approaching directly with, heightened expectation, and the hospital is advertising too much about their capabilities. Finally, when something goes wrong, they find that it is a doctor or the hospital that is wrong. They attack without any knowledge about what is going. Actually, no doctor will, mismanage a patient or if something happens, it is mostly due to the patient's illness and not due to the mismanagement by the hospital or doctor. 

Dr. Subramania Iyer,

Prof. & Chairman, Amrita Hospitals and School of Medicine, KOCHI

There have been sort of instances, several instances when this relationship between doctor and patient has gone sour in a very bad way, where it can result in even manhandling lawsuits or even loss of life. I think a general sort of change of attitude has to be there to go back into that relationship, which existed before, where each relationship between the patient and doctor was in the right spirit, which can be brought back with both sides correcting their ways to some extent. 

There has been sort of instances, several instances when this relationship between doctor and patient is gone sour  in a very bad way, where it can result in even manhandling lawsuits or even loss of life. I think a general sort of change of attitude has to be there to go back into that relationship, which existed before, where, each, relationship between the patient and doctor was in  the right spirit, which can be brought back with both sides correcting their ways to some extent.