April 2001

Empathy, Warmth = Potent Medicine?

NEW YORK - In an era of high-tech medicine, it may be the development of warmth and empathy between doctors and their patients that makes the difference in care, study findings suggest.

The study, published in the March 10 issue of The Lancet, found that doctors who showed empathy and acknowledged their patients' fears and anxieties were more effective than doctors who kept patients at an emotional arm's length.

``A sense of partnership and trust should be nurtured and thought of as part of the health-care package,'' said the study's lead author, Dr. Zelda Di Blasi of the University of York, UK. ''Unfortunately, the current system discourages continuity of care and does not allow enough time for a healing interaction.''

Di Blasi and colleagues grouped 25 medical, psychological and sociological studies of care delivery by the doctor's style of interaction with patients. In ``cognitive'' care, the doctor tried to influence or convince a patient about an illness or treatment, while in ``emotional'' care, the consultation was deemed warm and empathic and the doctor tried to relieve patients' anxiety and fears.

``In a health-care consultation, doctors can offer social support to patients, give them a safe space to open up and discuss their problems and reassure them with a diagnosis or a treatment, thereby relaxing them and lowering their anxiety,'' Di Blasi said. ``All of these ingredients have been linked with immune function.''

Source: The Lancet

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