Which of the following is NOT a function of the patient/practitioner relationship doctrine?

• A. Protects individual autonomy
• B. Encourages careful decision-making by practitioners
• C. Involves the public in medicine
• D. Improves hospital profits

Answer: (D)

The patient-practitioner relationship is built on guiding care through informed, voluntary patient choices and on the physician’s duty to act with fiduciary responsibility. This framework protects the patient’s autonomy by ensuring they receive clear information, understand options, and can consent freely. It also promotes careful decision-making by clinicians, who must weigh risks, benefits, and alternatives while aligning care with the patient’s values and preferences. Involvement of the public in medicine is not a direct function of this one-on-one relationship; it relates more to broader policy, governance, and accountability outside the individual encounter. Improving hospital profits is not a goal of the patient-practitioner relationship, which centers on patient welfare and ethical care. Therefore, the option about profits does not fit.