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The new chronic and multi-factorial morbidity, the limited efficiency of traditional medicine, and the dominant position currently occupied by individuals in social life have imposed a patient-oriented approach as an ideal model of medical practice. The objective of this study is to evaluate physicians’ listening skills, capacity for empathy, and participation with patients in the healthcare district of Sousse (Tunisia). This is a descriptive cross-sectional study on a collective of 133 practitioners working in the Sousse area in the private and public sectors. Data were collected during 1999 through a self-administered questionnaire. Among the main results, the study found that 28% of physicians reported having difficulties communicating with their patients, while 31% did not attach a great deal of importance to the psychosocial aspects of their patients. Moreover, only 31% of practitioners were in favor of patients participating in the decision-making process. This survey demonstrates that the dominance of the biomedical model of healthcare in teaching as well as in medical practice has weakened the basic competencies necessary for humanitarian medical practice based on respect and the involvement of the patient. Reforming the medical teaching curriculum with a focus on the person suffering and orienting the professional environment toward the community are both essential if we are to achieve a reconciliation between the patient’s needs and the care available.