Non Compliant Patients

Physician says patients who don't follow medical advice should be respected for their decisions.
In his column in the Los Angeles Times (9/27), physician Steve Dudley writes about patients who are classified as being "non-compliant" for not following the instructions of the "omniscient doctors." He says that although some of his "colleagues may differ" with him, he see the "patient is in the driver's seat" and his role as "that of a consultant, offering advice and assistance to those who seek it." He says there could be a number of reasons why patients become non-compliant, including "perhaps the drugs are too pricey and the patient is embarrassed to admit that finances are a problem." Dudley says he is also uncomfortable with "the 'non-compliance' label" as it "reflects a very authoritarian approach to the doctor-patient relationship." Notably, "What is more important to me is to try to figure out the 'why' behind the non-compliance."