• C Roubille, J Ribstein, G Hurpin, P Fesler, E Fiat, and F Roubille.
• Department of internal medicine, Montpellier university hospital, Montpellier, France.
• Rev Med Interne. 2021 Jan 1; 42 (1): 58-60.

AbstractSince Hippocrates, the cornerstone of medical practice has been the doctor-patient relationship. The question here is whether these basic principles are still compatible with this unusual COVID-period. This pandemic represents a serious threat to human health, leading to profound changes in behavior in daily life but also in health care. Because of limited resources, health-managers must choose well-balanced solutions able to protect patients and citizens on the one hand and to provide maximal benefit for the society on the other hand. We are going through a moment of rupture that we must acknowledge. Here, we discussed how the doctor-patient relationship could be compromised. Doctors are focused on cares whereas patients are focused on scare. Profound changes occur presently, from the way we present ourselves to each other (including the masks), the poor conditions for physical examination, the mental suffering of both patient and caregiver until sometimes terrible end-of-life conditions. The historical point-of-view helps us to keep in mind previous experiences, and the philosophical perspective helps to contextualize this unedited situation. We should stop briefly our daily rush to put these considerations into perspective to overcome these challenges. Nothing is as effective as trust: let's rebuild it.Copyright © 2020 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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