Doctor's Empathy Boosts Patient Satisfaction

Study finds wait time, appointment length secondary

By Robert Preidt

Friday, March 11, 2016

FRIDAY, March 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Patients do better and are more satisfied with their care if they believe their doctor is empathetic, a new study suggests.

Researchers asked 112 patients, average age 51, to rate their dealings with their hand surgeon.

The results showed that doctor empathy accounted for 65 percent of patient satisfaction.

Patient satisfaction wasn't influenced by wait time for an appointment or wait time in the office, time spent with the surgeon, resident/fellow involvement, whether or not patients were seeking a second opinion, patients' health knowledge or type of treatment.

The study, published recently in the Journal of Hand Surgery, was presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, in Orlando, Fla.

Good medical skills are important in hand and orthopedic surgery, but "this study shows that physician empathy is the best opportunity to improve the patient experience," said principal investigator Dr. David Ring, of the department of orthopedic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"In prior studies, we've had trouble determining what specifically contributes to patient satisfaction, so a finding that empathy explains 65 percent of the variation in satisfaction is really powerful," he added in an academy news release.

Empathetic doctors seem to understand what their patient is going through. Doctors can be coached to show more empathy, Ring said. It also helps if they have staffers who excel in communication and customer service, he added.

Ring also noted that health care reimbursement is increasingly linked to patient satisfaction and outcomes.

SOURCE: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, news release, March 1, 2016

HealthDay