Good doctors and bad doctors

Even if we assume that all doctors are technically competent, the major difference between a good doctor and a bad doctor is how they handle the patient's emotional status. We all know that patients are emotionally very vulnerable when they are sick, and they rely completely on their doctor for his professional advise. A bad doctor will exploit this vulnerability, and often scare or precipitate the patient into taking action which is in the doctor's best interests ( and not the patient's) - for example, doing bypass surgery because the patient has chest pain and is in the ICU. A good doctor, on the other hand, is one who is empathetic, and will let the patient know that he understands the patient's pain, and will support him in his illness with competent treatment and sound advice.