Matching physician practice style to patient informational issues and decision-making preferences. An approach to patient autonomy and medical paternalism issues in clinical practice.

The movement away from traditional medical paternalism toward increased patient autonomy presents difficult practical and ethical problems for the physician treating the wide variety of patients seen in clinical practice. A review of the literature supports the concept of matching the physician's practice style with both patient informational issues and the patient's desire to actively participate in medical decision making. Studies also support that this matching principle not only improves physician-patient relationships but is ethically defensible and results in improved clinical outcomes. This article presents such a patient-physician match model as an aid to the practicing clinician.