Doctor empathy important in healing

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Doctors may need to learn acting skills if they are to bring sufficient empathy to their patient relationships.
It is not enough for a doctor to have technical knowledge - he or she also needs empathy with their patient and their problems. Sometimes you may feel that the doctor is really not very interested in you or has little respect. According to researchers at the University of Washington Business School, this could be detrimental to your recovery. Yet the doctor sees hundreds of patients each year. How can they be expected to like each and every one of them?

The medical profession could adopt the business technique of acting empathy, say the researchers. There are two approaches - deep acting, where the doctor would draw on emotional memory and imagination to generate real sympathy for the patient. Then there is surface acting, a technique where the doctor generates emotional expression that may not be consistent with what they feel inside about the patient. This appears like genuine empathy to the patient, if it is done correctly.

When the doctor does work on empathy, they may get more professional satisfaction, say the researchers, drawing on parallels from the business world. Regular training is needed but it could be a worthwhile investment for both doctor and patient.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 2nd March 2005