Readers are referred to an article by S.A. Schneck in a 1998 issue of JAMA about how physicians make the worst patients and provided with a list of questions about this theory.

Some psychiatrists feel that outpatient commitment has a legitimate role in treating mentally ill individuals, especially those who are not even aware of their disease.

A strong line of communication between patient and physician is especially important when the patient refuses treatment or diagnostic tool.

The author analyzes various research that illustrate how strained physician-patient relationships can be improved.

An attempt to investigate correlations between race, attitudes, and contraceptive use did not find meaningful associations between race and attitudes about birth control or pregnancy that could influence contraceptive choice.

Physicians must be able to decide when to accept a patient's decision in the event that the decision seems irrational or does not seem to be in the patient's best interest.

Clinicians should strive to see the dignity and humanity in patients characterized as “difficult” from a psychoanalytic perspective.

Instead of using race as a shorthand for factors that directly influence health, researchers should investigate those factors themselves.