‘Clinical empathy key to building patient-doc trust’

Kochi: To overcome doctor-patient conflicts and improve trust and treatment outcomes, doctors are now looking at the evolving scope of clinical empathy in medical practice. According to the Society of General Internal Medicine, empathy is defined as the technique of assessing the emotional state of an individual without experiencing it. In medical literature, professional empathy can be considered as a purely cognitive response, different from sympathy.
A paper published in the medical journal Cureus part of Springer Nature looks at what compromises clinical empathy and how it helps improve overall patient satisfaction, besides bridging the doctor-patient gap.Doctors from Kerala were also involved in the study. In the past few years, doctor-patient conflicts have been increasing in the state, with the state government bringing in an ordinance making punishments for acts of violence against healthcare workers more stringent. The ordinance was brought out after Vandana Das, a 22-year-old house surgeon, was murdered by a patient sparking state-wide protests.

“Clinical empathy is one of the most essential tools of medical practice, and it is an act of correctly acknowledging the emotional state of another without experiencing that state oneself. It is the need of the hour as it is an effective health care as it leads to a trust-based relationship in patient care. But unfortunately, we have replaced empathy with sympathy in medical practice. This needs to change,” said Dr Jayakrishna B, physician, and diabetologist, corresponding author of the paper.
Explaining the benefits of clinical empathy, Dr Jayakrishnan said it leads to better communication improving patient outcomes, satisfaction, and compliance, and enhances the overall quality of care. The paper breaks the concept of empathy into recognition of the presence of intense emotions in the clinical setting such as fear, wrath, anger, and regret. Afterward, the physician can convey the patient’s feelings using their own words to confirm and acknowledge their experience. The physician must respect the patient’s coping efforts and offer support and partnership.
“When it comes to patients with diabetes, apart from pharmacological therapy, patient education, counselling, and psychological support are also important to combat the deleterious effects of diabetes. Aggressive efforts from physicians and motivating persons for compliance are two important aspects in preventing and managing diabetes. Empathy may play a major role in the healing of persons with diabetes,” added Dr Jothydev Kesavadev, the co-author of the paper.