Can a little empathy from GPs speed up our recovery from illness?
A patient's perception of how much empathy their GP shows could have an impact on health outcomes, according to new research.
A patient's perception of how much empathy their GP shows could have an impact on health outcomes, according to new research.
The study found patient perceptions of the doctor's empathy played a significant role in predicting the patients' outcomes.
The research, carried out by the University of Glasgow's Institute of Health and Wellbeing and the University of Southampton, also showed patients' expectations and GPs' behaviours within the consultation differed significantly between areas of high and low deprivation.
It showed those in areas of high deprivation reported poorer outcomes from consultations partly because they think their doctors are less empathetic than those who live in affluent areas.
Lead author Professor Stewart W Mercer said: This new paper adds to evidence already shown that the outcomes of the consultations are worse in such patients in deprived areas, and that an empathic patient-centred approach leads to better outcomes.
It is not to suggest GPs working in deprived areas are un-empathetic, but rather that they face a higher workload and have patients with complex needs.
Because of the inverse care law, the GPs in those deprived areas struggle to deliver patient-centred care due to time and resource constraints, and thus the NHS is not working best where it is needed most.''
The research involved 659 people attending 47 GPs in a total of 20 practices across Scotland in areas of high and low deprivation. Carried out between 2006 and 2009, it analysed the factors predicting poorer or better outcomes in both low and high socioeconomic groups.
Compared with affluent areas, researchers found that patients in the deprived areas had higher rates of ill health, psychosocial problems and multi-morbidity.
They also had more problems to discuss within the same consultation time, yet less desire for shared decision-making, as well as perceiving their GPs as less empathetic.
The outcomes, in terms of symptom severity, for those living in more deprived areas were worse at one month than for those living in affluent areas.
Although many factors predicted patient outcomes, perceived physician empathy was the only one that predicted better outcomes in patient symptoms and well-being in both high and low deprivation groups, according to researchers.
The paper is published in the Annals of Family Medicine on Tuesday and was funded by the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office.