The doctor-patient relationship was and remains the cornerstone of care. But there are many ways to understand, classify and practice the doctor-patient relationship. In this scenario, this article begins the task of sorting out the different ways of understanding, naming, differentiating, classifying and practising the doctor-patient relationship. It was found that the following concepts can be distinguished: 1) A hierarchy of dimensions of complexity of the doctor-patient relationship; 2) According to historical stages; 3) According to the degree of interpersonal relationships; 4) Based on the doctor's or patient's control; 5) According to the level of participation; 6) According to the models of "context makers"); 7) According to the length of interpersonal continuity; 8) According to pharmacological recommendations; 9) According to health service characteristics; 10) According to psychosocial aspects of illnesses; 11) According to age; and 12) Doctor-patient relationships with patients and special situations: immigrants, foreigners, patient with disturbed symptoms, psychiatric patients, with patient with visual or hearing impairment, at home, with racial differences, social class, gender, etc.). It is concluded that the doctor-patient relationship is a complex, multiple and heterogeneous concept that cannot be uniquely defined or generalised to the notion of a "good" relationship, but there are "many doctor-patient relationships" appropriate to their context, which also implies a redefinition of the instruments to measure this relationship.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399105003563?casa_token=f4mqdj0t L8kAAAAA:cOyylbqerh0TL4R_wwEDdGzbuIkCEJW2UAO5ekqamXt5Vlt-.easY4rAg4ISZoLMTZjWG1_oP