The perceived broader benefits of care beyond the relief of pain and disability, when consulting a health practitioner

The health care consultation process may often achieve a number of identifiable outcomes; the question remains if there are additional benefits to this process. Are there intangible benefits that the patient believes they receive when attending a health care practitioner that extend beyond the symptomological relief of pain and disability of their presenting complaint? Is it valuable, in the paradigm of patient centred care, for practitioners to be aware of their patient's perception of these extended or broader benefits of care? In a consumer driven society, does the patient's expectation of the consultation require practitioners to take a closer look at their needs and address these in a way that ensures improved patient compliance and satisfaction. It is the intention of this paper to examine a number of issues that may have a bearing on the patient's perceptions of the broader benefits of care beyond the relief of pan and disability. Patient centred care, the consultation models, expectations of care and previous work detailing perceived benefits of care in the Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM) model will be reviewed thereby hopefully opening the doors for further discussion and research in this important area.