Promoting patient–practitioner partnership in clinical training: a critical evaluation

This study provides a critical assessment of the application of the ‘partnership’ model of clinical interaction in an educational context, in the light of ethnographic research on education in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The concept of ‘partnership’ in healthcare practice is central to current health policy developments in the UK and the sense of patient empowerment in a more equitable practitioner–patient relationship is often cited as a reason why people are turning to CAM in ever greater numbers. After locating the concept of partnership in its policy and theoretical context (comparing it with traditional and consumer models), the study draws on ethnographic research with student osteopaths and homeopaths to explore the extent to which partnership can be achieved in clinical training situations. The implications for a working concept of professional expertise are subsequently discussed. I argue that the partnership model of clinical interaction is a useful point of departure for critically exploring issues in the patient–practitioner relationship in an educational context.