A landmark study at Thomas Jefferson University quantifies the relationship between physicians' empathy and clinical outcomes of a group of (diabetic) patients. The researchers' conclusions should come as no surprise:
Using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), researchers measure "a predominantly cognitive attribute that involves an understanding of the patient's experiences, concerns, and perspectives, combined with a capacity to communicate this understanding and an intention to help."
In simple English, empathy in the setting of healthcare means (1) the clinicians 'get it" about their patients' experiences and (2) the patients see that their clinicians both "get it" and want to help them.
Clinical outcome was assessed using a measure of blood sugar control, called hemoglobin A1c, as well as patients' LDL cholesterol level.
Why would empathy foster positive clinical outcomes? The study was not designed to assess cause and effect, but a variety of theories include these:
- By fostering mutual trust, empathic care may lead patients to be more forthcoming with how and what they are doing between office visits. Consequently clinicians would make more accurate assessments and advise better treatment plans.
- By fostering a sense of mutual commitment, patients may be more compliant with therapies.
- By fostering hopefulness, patients may experience benefits of the "placebo response" (i.e., real -- but limited -- self-healing potential of the body).
I wrote a short piece about my personal experience for Oncology Times in an article entitled: Empathy.
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