Physicians think they communicate better with patients than they actually do, according to one study following internal medicine residents during clinical inpatient encounters published in The Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers studied the frequency of physician-initiated behaviors known to improve patient experience and boost perception of physician empathy, including introducing oneself, explaining one's role in the patient's care, touching the patient, asking open-ended questions and sitting down with the patient.
Researchers observed 29 residents complete 732 patient encounters, recording the frequency of each behavior and asking residents to self-report frequency of each behavior after visiting with a patient. Researchers discovered:
- While 80 percent of residents recalled introducing themselves, only 40 percent actually did.
- While 80 percent thought they had explained their role in patient care, though only 37 percent had done so.
- While 58 percent reported sitting down with patients during visits, only 9 percent had actually done so.
- Interns touched patients 65 percent of the time and asked open-ended questions 75 percent of the time.
The study concluded physicians may overestimate their practice of etiquette-based medicine, which may contribute to the disconnect between quality of care and patient satisfaction.
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