A Positive Physician Attitude is Good Medicine

By: Elaine Gottlieb for Body1

Is a caring doctor good for your health? A physician needn't carry a black bag and arrive at your home late at night to promote healing. But, a recent study of ideal physician behaviors led by the Mayo Clinic found that a good relationship with a physician not only affects patients emotionally but also positively influences their compliance with treatment and recovery.

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Check www.mayoclinicproceedings.com for details about the study and patient experiences. Talk with your doctor about your relationship and share your concerns. Consult with your network of acquaintances or a doctor you like for referrals. Check with the American Board of Medical Specialties, www.abms.org, for information about physician certification and criteria for evaluating physician performance. Use the list of positive qualities as a checklist in evaluating physicians. Confident Empathetic Humane Personal Forthright Respectful Thorough

Researchers conducted telephone interviews with 192 Mayo Clinic patients from Arizona and Minnesota who were treated in 14 medical specialties and asked them to describe their best and worst experiences. The following are seven behaviors that characterize the ideal physician along with patients' comments about them:

Confident – “The doctor's confidence gives me confidence.”

Empathetic – “The doctor tries to understand what I am feeling and experiencing, physically and emotionally, and communicates that understanding to me.”

Humane – “The doctor is caring, compassionate and kind.”

Personal – “The doctor is interested in me more than just as a patient, interacts with me, and remembers me as an individual.”

Forthright – “The doctor tells me what I need to know in plain language and in a forthright manner.”

Respectful – “The doctor takes my input seriously and works with me.”

Thorough – “The doctor is conscientious and persistent.”

Interestingly, at a time when physicians are increasingly using sophisticated technology, the patients seldom mentioned a physician's technical skills. This doesn't mean patients feel that technical ability isn't important, the authors write, but find it more difficult to judge than interpersonal skills.

The negative qualities that affected patients most were insensitivity and disrespectful behavior. Dr. James Li of the Mayo Clinic Division of Allergic Diseases, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, came up with seven traits that are the opposite of those cited in the study: Timid, uncaring, misleading, cold, callous, disrespectful and hurried. Patients can sense if a physician is rushed or preoccupied, the study's authors report, just as they sense when a doctor is sincerely concerned.

“A physician who pays personal attention to the patient, who is respectful, compassionate and competent, that's what every patient wants,” Dr. Li said in a statement. He is currently developing programs and curricula for teaching new and practicing physicians at the Clinic how to strengthen their interactions with patients. Mayo's structure is designed to focus on the patient, which helps nurture strong physician-patient relationships. In his editorial, Li notes that the authoritative Institute of Medicine “has declared that quality medical care must include a patient-centered approach.”

The positive quality named most often by patients was “thorough.” “If patients have opportunities to tell their stories, to be asked questions and have the physician verbalize understanding of what's been shared, it leaves them feeling like they were heard,” Dr. Li said. “This leaves them with the impression that the physician was thorough.”

There are encouraging signs that the medical establishment is listening. In his editorial, Li notes that the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education have jointly stated that physicians must “demonstrate caring and respectful behaviors when interacting with patients and their families… create and sustain a therapeutic and ethically sound relationship with patients… and demonstrate respect, compassion and integrity.” The two organizations are also developing physician certification modules that incorporate patient and peer assessments of physician relationship and communication skills.

Hopefully, this awareness will translate to the doctor's office, with physicians spending as much time focused on the person in front of them as they do evaluating symptoms.

Last updated: 06-Jun-06