The field of medicine deals with pain, suffering, losses & death at each stage. It won’t be an over statement to say that Empathy comes across as a very powerful emotion & a very strong virtue to be a #SuperDoctor.
#Empathy is an experience of emotional resonance where the observer identifies and transiently experiences the subject's emotional state. However, being empathetic not only means understanding patients’ experiences, concerns and perspectives, but also, being able to #communicate the same your patients.
In simpler words its “I get how you feel” or that “We are with you!”
It goes without saying that physicians cannot fully experience the suffering of each patient. However, the point is that empathy is more of an intellectual rather than emotional form of knowing. The implication of which is, it can be learnt! And in the process of being learning how to be empathic, Doctors end up actually being empathic.
The function of empathy isn’t merely to label an emotional state, but to recognize what it feels like to experience something. That is why empathy is needed even when it is quite obvious what emotion label applies to a patient. Physicians who allow their patients to move them enrich their own experience of doctoring. As the goal of medicine is to alleviate suffering and not simply cure disease - empathy becomes a necessary clinical skill to treat the patient holistically!
Beyond the obvious benefits of a healthy Doctor-Patient Relationship, we see empathy playing a major determinant role with fringe benefits
- Patients who are empathised with, tend to like their physicians & are more likely to be compliant with their treatment plan translating into better #health outcomes.
- After acceptance of #insurance plan, bedside manner/empathy is the top factor adults consider while selecting a physician for themselves or a loved one.
- Empathetic Surgeons are likely to not get litigation in face of adverse events.
- Doctors who are more attuned to the psycho-social needs of their patients are less likely to experience #burnout
- Empathy is used by Quacks to convince their patients of good intentions & thus as a trust building measure
Lastly, the physician must perform a difficult internal balancing act: by becoming too emotionally involved with the patient, one may lose objectivity; by not becoming involved enough, one may be unable to relate as a human being.