The doctor-patient relation in the context of health seen as a product

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical review of the doctor-patient relation in the context of health as a socio-cultural product of postmodernity. We searched the data bases Pub Med, Lilacs and the Cochrane Library in the Internet, using the key words doctor-patient relation, health, product and post-modernity. We also searched medical textbooks as well as reference works in the fields of philosophy, sociology and marketing. The doctor-patient relation was analyzed based on the concepts health and product. Thus, by considering health a product of the consumer society, one discussed the changes that occurred in medical care and in the relation between the health professional (doctor) and the patient (client).