HEALTH EDUCATION
The doctor-patient relationship is of the greatest importance to the effective use
of health services. Studies conducted in England and the United States show that
many people resort to self-treatment, and that this is due to a barrier between the
doctor and themselves, which makes them too diffident to consult the doctor. At the
other end of the scale is the person who believes that the doctor is infallible and who
expects miraculous treatment. Thus, the need for health education emerges at this
point, not with the aim of making every man his own doctor, but rather with the aim
of helping people to judge for themselves when they need professional help. For
example, a simple cut on a finger will usually respond to first-aid and a simple
dressing to protect it and keep it clean, which can easily be done at home. If the
injury occurred in circumstances or places in which dangerous infection was likely -
e.g. in cultivated land that might contain tetanus spores - then the patient should
consult his doctor. In any case, he should be able to recognize the signs of
inflammation, in which case he should consult his doctor.
(From
A Textbook of Health Education by Denis Pirrie and A.J. Dalzell-Ward)
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