• …who was impressive not only for his clinical skills but also for his devotion to patients
• I told them suffering or comfort — it was their decision.
• Language building-up – Signpost language – Vocabulary test
• Suggested answers
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
Text A
Critical reading and thinking
Topics for presentation
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
Lead-in Issues to be covered
• The shift from paternalistic paradigm to patient-center paradigm in medical decision making
• The importance of good physician-patient relationship in both the medical practice and the patient’s recovery
withdraw life-support machines and medications / treatment
• …who was impressive not only for his clinical skills but also for his devotion to patients
Unit 7 Life and Medicine

Unit Contents
Lead-in Text A Text B Text C Listening Speaking
Writing Get reading for Unit 8
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
Lead-in
• Issues to be covered • Task
• But in the end, they made no decision and just walked right out of the room
学术英语 医学
Academic English for Medicine
Unit 7
Physician-Patient Relationship
Life can be hard. Relationships are often difficult. In an era of fast advancing medical technology, rapidly changing medical ethics, and in increasingly litigious society, good physicianpatient relationship is critically important for effective health care delivery. This unit sheds some light on how to build such a relationship to help us through the unpredictability in life.
last resort; • Decide whether transfer or referral is needed.
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
Text A
• Critical reading and thinking – Topics for presentation – Useful expressions – Difficult sentences
• Things that counts in maintaining a amiable physicianpatient relationship
• The way to communicate properly and effectively with the patients
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
• Decide whether life-support system should be continued or withdrawn;
• Decide whether euthanasia should be considered; • Decide whether a new therapy should be tried; • Decide whether surgery should be the first choice or the
Lead-in
Task: Read the title of Text A and imagine three different situations in which doctors may be asked to make “tough decisions” for their patients. Then write them down.
• The family’s refusal to make any decision or withdraw any treatments
Unit 7 Life and Medicine
Text A
Critical reading and thinking
Useful expressions
• 护士站 nursing station • 停止使用呼吸机并停药/停止治疗
1 What difficult situation is the young doctor facing??
• A dying patient
• Decision whether to withdraw life-support machines and medication and start comfort measures