![]() ![]() ![]() We studied 1,500 physicians who participated in our communications courses as well as their patients, and found we had both enhanced their patients’ experiences and reduced physician burnout. ![]() In recordings of doctor-patient interaction s that did not result in malpractice claims, the physicians use humor, let the patient talk, and explain what will happen during the visit.Įmpathy and effective communication also increase physician retention, leading to additional economic benefit. Such shortcomings translate into millions of dollars in claims. If you look at why people file malpractice claims, the number-one cause isn’t inappropriate medical management, but a lack of human connection. If I'm empathic to you, you’ll be empathic to the next person, and they to the next.įascinatingly, listening and empathy may be doctors’ greatest tools in reducing financial, physical, and emotional harm. ![]() He found that social contagion also applies to empathy. University of Chicago researcher Nicholas Christakis studied the power of social contagion-one person influencing another to adopt a behavior like smoking or eating habits leading to obesity. In healthcare, reflective listening and empathy can lead to behavior change, fewer malpractice claims, and less burnout–that feeling you get when your emotional bucket is empty and it’s hard to keep going. The Cases for Empathyīeing empathic is self-perpetuating. Human beings behave differently when they are in relationships, and we can be intentional about building relationships through reflective listening. Creating this space made room for their pain it helped the healers heal. Tales tumbled out-stories of abuse and loss, of witnessing humanity at its best and worst. We quickly changed the curriculum to allow physicians time to share their stories. Many were grappling with challenging conversations and feeling isolated by their unacknowledged struggle. We thought we would just teach some skills, but we soon realized we also needed to listen to the physicians themselves. In 2011, I helped design a communication training program for all Cleveland Clinic physicians that included approaches to listening to and building empathy for our patients. Amidst all of this, studies show that physician empathy levels decline throughout training, and rise again only later in a doctor’s career. They may miss their kid’s soccer game to comfort a patient who is contemplating their own mortality. As they become more senior, they may travel back and forth from outpatient to inpatient settings. They must learn to stand in the midst of suffering, field questions they don’t know the answers to, and parse medical jargon. Working in hospitals is tremendously stressful: Doctors-in-training have to learn to work on a team, document their actions extensively, take on sleep-depriving schedules, and begin to take responsibility for the health of their patients. If we expect every healthcare professional to empathize with every patient, we must provide training. And yet most of us haven’t received any training to hone our ability to empathize we just do our best. Many people who choose careers in medicine or at nonprofits are intrinsically motivated to serve others. Ultimately, soliciting and applying someone’s feedback is fundamental to making that person feel seen and valued. I call this concept “empathy operationalized.” Although I view this issue through a healthcare lens, the reflections are universal. This not only makes an impact in one-on-one conversations, but can also improve program and process design. When that doesn’t happen, human nature leads us to stop talking altogether or to crank up the volume.Īs a neurologist and chief experience officer at Cleveland Clinic, one of the most powerful things you can do for people is to ask about insights and feelings, reflect what you hear back to them, and then do something about it. While this isn’t necessarily bad, most of us want people to listen to us when the tables turn. We want to quickly find out what we need to know and are eager to steer conversations in that direction. ![]()
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