The success of modern medicine greatly relies on physicians' ability to genuinely listen to patients. However, some physicians believe genuine conversation with patients is no longer realistic given the size of their workload, among other factors.
Rana Awdish, MD, medical director of care experience for Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, and Leonard Berry, a health services researcher and professor of marketing at Texas A&M University's Mays Business School in College Station, shared three reasons physicians should slow down and actively listen to patients in a recent article for Harvard Business Review.
1. Active listening builds a strong patient-clinician relationship. Physicians can build trust with their patients by practicing good listening skills and engaging in shared decision-making regarding treatment options. "A doctor's medical toolbox and supply of best-practice guidelines, ample as they are, do not address a patient's fears, grief over a diagnosis, practical issues of access to care, or reliability of their social support system," the authors wrote. "Overlooking these realities is perilous, both for the patient's well-being and for efficient delivery of care."
2. Rushed patient encounters have consequences. Physicians are more likely to offer ineffective treatment and overlook valuable information when hurrying through a patient interaction. This behavior also reduces the joy of serving patients, which can contribute to physician burnout.
3. Physicians and patients play designated roles that hinder communication. The typical roles physicians and patients learn to play during an encounter also inhibit communication. Physicians learn to keep an even temperament and not grow too emotionally invested in patients. Meanwhile, patients ask few questions and usually defer to the expert.
"When doctor and patient join forces, the team dynamic dismantles the harmful hierarchy. Both members of the dyad can rely on each other because neither owns all the data that matter," the authors wrote.
To view the full article, click here.
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