Defining the Good Doctor

When I was a young man, it was common to refer to one of our colleagues as a "good doctor." This was an impressionistic description of a physician who excelled at the art as well as the science of medicine, one who cared deeply about his or her patients, who worried about the family, the home situation, the economic impact of the illness, and the patients' understanding of their disease—all while employing the soundest and most appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic methods. A "good doctor" was a physician to whom we would send a member of our family or to whom we would entrust our personal care. See also p 1655. While the term "good doctor" may have passed from the scene, the concept has not. On the contrary, more objective, scientifically sound, and statistically valid methods for defining what a clinically competent, compassionate, communicative physician really is, are constantly being