tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657976453804122469.post2320107603856313442..comments2015-04-28T02:56:09.521-04:00Comments on MITSS-Medically Induced Trauma Support Services Clinicians: EMPATHY -- A CRUCIAL PIECE TO PATIENT/PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATIONMITSS........http://www.blogger.com/profile/05548638735306322559noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657976453804122469.post-68949490176426166012008-10-05T11:44:00.000-04:002008-10-05T11:44:00.000-04:00I think empathy is a skill that most everyone can ...I think empathy is a skill that most everyone can learn, and that some people are naturally better at it than others. Many people struggle with the question, "How can I share someone else's pain, but not bring it home with me?" It is often easier to remain stoic than to keep that balance.<BR/><BR/>It is also much easier to show empathy to someone when you are a neutral party, or have been in a similar situation. It is unrealistic to expect that a clinician directly involved with an adverse patient event could immediately put aside his or her own emotional response and be able to show true empathy to the patient. Apologies under these circumstances come out at best insincere and at worst detrimental to the patient (and the clinician).<BR/><BR/>Proper wording is critical, as well. A clinician may be trying to communicate, "This should not have happened", but a patient may understand it as, "What you think happened could not have happened." Helpful suggestions about how the event could have been prevented can be perceived by the patient as blaming the victim.<BR/><BR/>Patients need the opportunity to express how they were harmed by an adverse event. Hospitals and caregivers are fairly good at addressing the patient's physical needs after adverse event. But they tend to completely discount a patient's emotional or mental health needs--to the point of declaring that if there was no physical harm from an adverse event, it should be categorized as a "minor error". But the patient may feel more long-term affects from the mental-health aspects of the event than the physical ones.<BR/><BR/>I agree with the team approach, with added emphasis on support for the clinician as part of the initial response, as this appears to be the area with the largest gap and high risk. Perhaps an addition would be resources for affected clinicians to confidentially discuss their own feelings of fear, frustration or anger about the event so that these are not carried over into conversations with the patients.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3657976453804122469.post-23453493371111301682008-10-01T16:42:00.000-04:002008-10-01T16:42:00.000-04:00You might be surprised to know that patients and f...You might be surprised to know that patients and families often have empathy for you, the health care professional, when things go wrong. This can be more of a two-way street than you think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com