From paternalism to consumerism: a paradigm shift in doctor-patient relationship

The concept of personalized medicine is a current trend in the development of Russian health care. The new approach includes personalized, predictive, preventive, and participatory elements. Despite the significance of the scientific component, the doctor-patient relationship becomes important for the effective functioning of personalized medicine as a priority model of modern health care. The paper analyzes the researchers’ approaches to studying the subject matter. The authors note that the doctor-patient system has undergone a transformation due to a change in social reality guided by information technology rather than in the fundamentals of medical practice. Along with the advantages of paternalism as the basis of interaction between doctor and patient, it is obvious to adopt a new consumerist model. This trend is ambivalent. On the one hand, personal responsibility for one’s health can grow. On the other hand, consumerism in medicine increases its commercialization. The authors conclude that the future of personalized medicine lies in both more opportunities for modern medical knowledge and the development of people’s personal responsibility for their health.