A framework for treating doctor-patients.

BACKGROUND: All doctors are encouraged to have a general practitioner. When doctors seek medical care, the treating doctor can struggle to provide optimal treatment. Guidelines state that doctor-patients should be treated like any other patient, yet this is challenging for the treating doctor. OBJECTIVE: This paper speaks to these challenges and presents a framework to assist the treating doctor to deliver compassionate, comprehensive care when their patient is also a doctor. DISCUSSION: After first outlining the key concepts of respect and collegiality, which play a central role when building a therapeutic alliance, a number of practical challenges that can emerge are identified. A practical framework is then presented and illustrated with examples designed to help the treating doctor navigating the important role of being a doctor's doctor.