Empathy is the acknowledgment and understanding of another person’s feelings or emotional situation. Empathetic doctors generally have patients who are more satisfied with their treatment and are more likely to comply with medical recommendations. Unfortunately, not all doctors readily express empathetic thoughts, according to a study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Diane Morse, MD, led a team of researchers through a review of the transcripts of 137 consultations at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital located in a southern state. All patients in the cases under review had either lung cancer or a mass in the lungs that required surgery for diagnosis. Morse is an assistant professor of psychiatry and medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Morse’s team identified 384 “empathic opportunities,” or moments when patients voiced or hinted at concerns, emotional turmoil, or other forms of stress in just 20 consultations. An empathic response from the consulting physician was documented just 39 times, or in only 10% of the opportunities presented. Empathic opportunities occurred when patients mentioned the impact their cancer has had on their lives, its diagnosis and treatment, and the barriers to health care inherent in our current medical system.

The Morse research team suggests beginning an empathic relationship early on with a patient, especially when he or she is facing a life-threatening illness or impending death. Doing so quickly validates the patient’s needs and builds an understanding bond between physician and patient. The team says that even a quick and simple acknowledgment, such as, “It sounds like you are very concerned about that,” is enough to make a connection with the patient.

Discussing imminent death, as in the case of a patient with lung cancer, can be difficult for many physicians, especially those who may experience a sense of failure on their own parts over their inability to cure terminal illnesses such as cancer. Conversations concerning patient mortality may also heighten a physician’s awareness of his or her own physical vulnerabilities to illness and death.

Source: University of Rochester Medical Center