Tuesday, September 23, 2008

For Some Doctors, Empathy Is in Short Supply

Study finds they miss patients' cues about fears of well-being,
even death
-- Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) --

"Physicians only responded to 10 percent of empathic opportunities and, when patients raised 'existential' concerns, physicians tended to shift more to biomedical responses," said study author Dr. Diane Morse, an assistant professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.

"Empathy -- identifying with and understanding another person's situation and feelings -- has been linked with improved patient satisfaction, including less anxiety and better compliance with treatment. Physicians, residents and medical students also show evidence of more satisfaction and less burnout if they provide empathy, Morse said."

Research published in latest issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

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1 Comments:

At 7:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Empathic technics, I believe, comes as a natural instinct but can be learned from a professional perspective; however, through additional training in this area while in medical school could be beneficial.

 

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