Enhancing the doctor-patient relationship: Living, dying and use of the living will

Abstract

This article aims to establish whether processes around the consideration and execution of the living will help enhance the doctor-patient relationship. Studies indicate that the living will is not used frequently, and that the doctor-patient relationship is often deficient. The article explores the two primary topics – the living will, and the doctor-patient relationship – separately, and then presents a synthesis of these separate investigations. This synthesis concludes that the living will can help enhance the doctor-patient relationship. Following this analysis a brief practical model is offered.