Physician – Patient relationship in andrology: A new approach for an old scenario

Physician- patient relationship (P-PR) is a central, critical and relevant element in medical care. In the spectrum of care of andrology, strong cooperation is needed from a large group of researchers and clinicians, who play different roles and, as a consequence, an intricate complex communication problem can arise. Techniques to build an appropriate P-PR relationships are reviewed here. The best andrological consultations begin when a good (i.e. perceived as safe by patients) setting and a sufficient amount of time is available. Active listening, kindness, empathy, competence, trust, efficacy and compliance/therapeutic alliance concur all together to build an appropriate P-PR relationship. Starting from a common agenda, the interaction process of P-PR should finally arrive at its goal, namely, shared decision making. The construction of a satisfactory P-PR is fundamentally important for a this. When there is a good P-PR relationship, a minimal effort is sufficient for finding a common ground for decision-making and P-PR conflicts occur seldom.