scholarly journals The impact of physician empathy on patient outcomes: A gender analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. BJGP.2021.0193
Author(s):  
Caroline Surchat ◽  
Valérie Carrard ◽  
Jacques Gaume ◽  
Alexandre Berney ◽  
Carole Clair
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Relational Quality ◽  
Observational Measures ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
The Impact

Background: Empathy in primary care settings has been linked to improved health outcomes. However, the operationalisation of empathy differs between studies, and no study concurrently compared affective, cognitive, and behavioural components of empathy regarding patient outcomes. Moreover, it is unclear how gender interacts with the studied dimensions. Aim: To examine the relationship between several empathy dimensions and patient-reported satisfaction, consultation’s quality and trust in physician, and to determine whether this relationship is moderated by physician’s gender. Design and setting: Analysis of 61 primary care physicians’ empathy in relation to 244 patient experience questionnaires in French-speaking part of Switzerland. Method: Sixty-one physicians were videotaped with two male and two female patients. Six different empathy measures were assessed: two self-reported measures, a facial recognition test, two external observational measures, and a Synchrony of Vocal Mean Fundamental Frequencies (SVMFF), measuring vocally coded arousal. After the consultation, patients indicated their satisfaction, trust, and quality of the consultation. Results: Female physicians self-rated their empathic concern above their male counterparts, whereas male physicians were more synchronised to their patients. SVMFF was the only significant predictor of all patient outcomes. Verbal empathy statements were linked to higher satisfaction when the physician was a man. Conclusion: Gender differences were observed more often in self-reported measures of empathy than in external measures, indicating a probable social desirability bias. SVMFF significantly predicted all patient outcomes and could be used as a cost-effective proxy of relational quality.

scholarly journals Managing the transition to non-driving in patients with dementia in primary care settings: facilitators and barriers reported by primary care physicians

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1419-1428 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Scott ◽  
J. Liddle ◽  
N. A. Pachana ◽  
E. Beattie ◽  
G. K. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
Major Life ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Primary Care Practices ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTObjectives:This research addresses dementia and driving cessation, a major life event for affected individuals, and an immense challenge in primary care. In Australia, as with many other countries, it is primarily general practitioners (GPs) who identify changes in cognitive functioning and monitor driving issues with their patients with dementia. Qualitative evidence from studies with family members and other health professionals shows it is a complicated area of practice. However we still know little from GPs about how they manage the challenges with their patients and the strategies that they use to facilitate driving cessation.Methods:Data were collected through five focus groups with 29 GPs at their primary care practices in metropolitan and regional Queensland, Australia. A semi-structured topic guide was used to direct questions addressing decision factors and management strategies. Discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed.Results:Regarding the challenges of raising driving cessation, four key themes emerged. These included: (i) Considering the individual; (ii) GP-patient relationships may hinder or help; (iii) Resources to support raising driver retirement; and (iv) Ethical dilemmas and ethical considerations. The impact of discussing driving cessation on GPs is discussed.Conclusions:The findings of this study contribute to further understanding the experiences and needs of primary care physicians related to managing driving retirement with their patients with dementia. Results support a need for programs regarding identification and assessment of fitness to drive, to upskill health professionals and particularly GPs to manage the complex issues around dementia and driving cessation, and explore cost-effective and timely delivery of such support to patients.

scholarly journals A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Primary Care Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Schroeder ◽  
Elizabeth Stephens ◽  
Dharmakaya Colgan ◽  
Matthew Hunsinger ◽  
Dan Rubin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Impact

Primary care physicians experience high rates of burnout, which results in diminished quality of life, poorer quality of care, and workforce attrition. In this randomized controlled trial, our primary aim was to examine the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on burnout, stress, mindfulness, compassion, and resilience among physicians. A total of 33 physicians completed the baseline assessment and were randomized to the Mindful Medicine Curriculum (MMC; n = 17) or waitlist control group (n = 16). Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, post-MBI, and 3-month follow-up. We also analyzed satisfaction with doctor communication (DCC) and overall doctor rating (ODR) data from patients of the physicians in our sample. Participants in the MMC group reported significant improvements in stress (P < .001), mindfulness (P = .05), emotional exhaustion (P = .004), and depersonalization (P = .01) whereas in the control group, there were no improvements on these outcomes. Although the MMC had no impact on patient-reported DCC or ODR, among the entire sample at baseline, DCC and ODR were significantly correlated with several physician outcomes, including resilience and personal achievement. Overall, these findings suggest that a brief MBI can have a positive impact on physician well-being and potentially enhance patient care.

Multiple Chronic Conditions and the Aging of America

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Pearson ◽  
Kavitha Bhat-Schelbert ◽  
Janice C. Probst
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Background: As the United States population ages, chronic conditions are becoming more prevalent and our healthcare system is faced with increasing costs. This aging population with increased multiple chronic conditions coupled with increased burden of disease will provide a challenge to primary care physicians to provide quality care that is cost-effective. Therefore, we examined national data to study the impact of chronic conditions, age and caregiving on lifestyle burden. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed for the presence of 9 chronic health conditions, including angina/coronary heart disease (CHD), arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart attack, hypertension, obesity, and stroke, and average number of chronic conditions among persons 50 years of age and older. Lifestyle burden, measured by activity limitation, required use of assistive devices, and/or serving in a caregiving capacity was measured and stratified by number of chronic conditions. Results: All conditions except obesity and asthma increased with each age category. By age 70, the majority of adults had hypertension (60.7%) and arthritis (55.0%). Prevalence of activity limitations and use of assistive devices increased as did the numbers of chronic conditions. Discussion: These findings point to a changing population of patients for primary care physicians that will require treatment of multiple chronic conditions as well as increased burden of disease. As this population grows, workloads for primary care physicians will increase and could likely lead to inefficient care and possibly inadequate payment for the required level of management. Therefore, the current challenge facing our healthcare system is to evaluate existing models of care for older patients and to develop new models that are cost-effective while at the same time providing fair reimbursement for increased management.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Multi-Morbidity and Related Constructs on Patient Reported Safety in Primary Care: Generalized Structural Equation Modelling of Observational Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1782
Author(s):  
Ignacio Ricci-Cabello ◽  
Aina María Yañez-Juan ◽  
Maria A. Fiol-deRoque ◽  
Alfonso Leiva ◽  
Joan Llobera Canaves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Morbidity Burden ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Patient Complexity ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
The Impact

We aimed to examine the complex relationships between patient safety processes and outcomes and multimorbidity using a comprehensive set of constructs: multimorbidity, polypharmacy, discordant comorbidity (diseases not sharing either pathogenesis nor management), morbidity burden and patient complexity. We used cross-sectional data from 4782 patients in 69 primary care centres in Spain. We constructed generalized structural equation models to examine the associations between multimorbidity constructs and patient-reported patient safety (PREOS-PC questionnaire). These associations were modelled through direct and indirect (mediated by increased interactions with healthcare) pathways. For women, a consistent association between higher levels of the multimorbidity constructs and lower levels of patient safety was observed via either pathway. The findings for men replicated these observations for polypharmacy, morbidity burden and patient complexity via indirect pathways. However, direct pathways showed unexpected associations between higher levels of multimorbidity and better safety. The consistent association between multimorbidity constructs and worse patient safety among women makes it advisable to target this group for the development of interventions, with particular attention to the role of comorbidity discordance. Further research, particularly qualitative research, is needed for clarifying the complex associations among men.

The impact of a program to enhance the competencies of primary care physicians in caring for patients with AIDS

1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Lewis ◽  
Howard E. Freeman ◽  
Sherrie H. Kaplan ◽  
Christopher R. Corey
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
The Impact

Physicians’ accounts of frontline tensions when implementing pilot projects to improve primary care

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mansfield ◽  
Onil Bhattacharyya ◽  
Jennifer Christian ◽  
Gary Naglie ◽  
Vicky Steriopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pilot Projects ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Canada’s primary care system has been described as “a culture of pilot projects” with little evidence of converting successful initiatives into funded, permanent programs or sharing project outcomes and insights across jurisdictions. Health services pilot projects are advocated as an effective strategy for identifying promising models of care and building integrated care partnerships in local settings. In the qualitative study reported here, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the strengths and challenges of this approach. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 primary care physicians who discussed their experiences as pilot project leads. Following thematic analysis methods, broad system issues were captured as well as individual project information. Findings While participants often portrayed themselves as advocates for vulnerable patients, mobilizing healthcare organizations and providers to support new models of care was discussed as challenging. Competition between local healthcare providers and initiatives could impact pilot project success. Participants also reported tensions between their clinical, project management and research roles with additional time demands and skill requirements interfering with the work of implementing and evaluating service innovations. Originality/value Study findings highlight the complexity of pilot project implementation, which encompasses physician commitment to addressing care for vulnerable populations through to the need for additional skill set requirements and the impact of local project environments. The current pilot project approach could be strengthened by including more multidisciplinary collaboration and providing infrastructure supports to enhance the design, implementation and evaluation of health services improvement initiatives.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document