ACP issues position paper on patient-physician-caregiver relationships

More than 30 million people in the U.S. act as caregivers for individuals with acute and chronic illness. A new position paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine offers guidance to physicians for developing mutually supportive patient-physician-caregiver relationships.

The authors of the paper noted that while hospice and palliative care address the impact of illness on both patients and families, the focus is primarily on the patient's rights, with less attention paid toward the patient's experience within the context of their family and social relationships. ACP President Joseph Stubbs, FACP, said the ethical guidance in the paper is intended to heighten physician awareness of the importance and complexity of such relationships.

The paper, which was endorsed by 10 other professional medical societies, was developed by the ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee and approved by the American College of Physicians Board of Regents.