The covid-19 pandemic: Some thoughts on patient-centred healthcare and patient motivation

Abstract

The article discusses some of the current issues that the Russian healthcare sector, both medical workers and healthcare managers, are faced with, looking into the expectations arising from the changing doctor-patient relationship and the introduction of patient-centred approaches in medical care. It traces the transformations that have taken place in the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic and stresses the need to motivate patients to preserve and manage their own health. The previous difficulties in the doctor-patient interaction are shown to have become significantly greater as a result of the ongoing epidemiological crisis. Drawing on online media publications about the pandemic and associated issues, including access to medical care and treatment, and linking the resultant difficulties to the state reform to streamline the healthcare system, the author arrives at the conclusion that humanistic approaches to healthcare need to be introduced along with new, complementary specialties such as medical anthropologists, bioethics specialists, clinical psychologists, and mediators.