Courteous but not curious: how doctors' politeness masks their existential neglect. A qualitative study of video-recorded patient consultations

The study suggests that the main failing of patient-doctor encounters is not a lack of courteous manners, but the moral offence patients experience when existential concerns are ignored. Improving doctors' social and communication skills cannot resolve this moral problem, which appears to be intrinsically bound to modern medical practice. Acknowledging this moral offence would, however, be the first step towards minimising the effects thereof.