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.
Labels: bedside manner, empathy, patient satisfaction, patient-physician communication
posted by Ann Celestine @ 11:30 AM
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