--- title: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients. | Sutter Health" description: "We develop a concept of respect that imposes a moral duty on physicians, and carries the belief that patients have value and acting according to this belief." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-what-it-means-to-patients-1055312647" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients. # R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients. Frosch DL & Tai-Seale M. _J Gen Intern Med. 29(3):427-8. doi: 10.1007/s11606-013-2710-z._ 2014-03-01 ## Abstract Respect is frequently invoked as an integral aspect of ethics and professionalism in medicine, yet it is often unclear what respect means in this setting. While we recognize that there are many reasonable ways to think about and use the term ‘respect’, in this paper, we develop a conception of respect that imposes a distinct moral duty on physicians. We are concerned mainly with the idea of respect for persons, or more specifically, respect for patients as persons. We develop an account of respect as recognition of the unconditional value of patients as persons. Such respect involves respecting the autonomy of patients, but we challenge the idea that respect for autonomy is a complete or self-sufficient expression of respect for persons. Furthermore, we suggest that the type of respect that physicians owe to patients is independent of a patient’s personal characteristics, and therefore, ought to be accorded equally to all. Finally, the respect that we promote has both a cognitive dimension (believing that patients have value) and a behavioral dimension (acting in accordance with this belief). [PubMed abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395098) ## Research topics - [Health Disparities](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Disparities%5C%22%22) - [Health Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Services%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [How good is "very good"? Translation effect in the racial/ethnic variation in self-rated health status.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/racial-variation-in-self-rated-health-status-1055312900) Seo S, Chung S, Shumway M. Qual Life Res. 23(2):593-600. doi: 10.1007/s11136-013-0522-6. Epub 2013 Sep 13. 2014 Mar 01 - Publication ### [The 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D): a bibliography of 20 years of research.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/national-health-interview-survey-on-disability-1055312487) Ward BW, Ridolfo H, Creamer L, Gray C. Rev Disabil Stud. 11(2):1-22. 2015 Apr 01 - Publication ### [Does this doctor speak my language? Improving the characterization of physician non-English language skills.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/improve-characterization-of-md-non-english-skills-1055312681) Diamond LC, Luft HS, Chung S, Jacobs EA. Health Serv Res. 47(1 Pt 2):556-69. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01338 2012 Feb 01 - Publication ### [Community health worker training and certification programs in the United States: findings from a national survey.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/comm-health-wker-training-certif-progrms-us-1055312544) Kash BA, May ML, Tai-Seale M. Health Policy. 80(1):32-42. Epub 2006 Mar 29. 2007 Jan 01 - Publication ### [An evaluation of two interventions to enhance patient-physician communication using the observer OPTION5 measure of shared decision making.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/eval-2-interv-enhance-pt-md-comm-option5-measure-1055312393) Dillon EC, Stults CD, Wilson C, Chuang J, Meehan A, Li M, Elwyn G, Frosch DL, Yu E, Tai-Seale M. Patient Educ Couns. pii: S0738-3991(17)30254-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2017.04.020. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2017 May 01 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-what-it-means-to-patients-1055312647#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients."}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-what-it-means-to-patients-1055312647#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients.","headline":"R-E-S-P-E-C-T--what it means to patients.","abstract":"Respect is frequently invoked as an integral aspect of ethics and professionalism in medicine, yet it is often unclear what respect means in this setting. 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