Clinician views on optimism and empathy in primary care consultations: a qualitative interview study.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Hughes, Stephanie Vennik, Jane Louise Smith, Kirsten A Bostock, Jennifer Howick, Jeremy Mallen, Christian Little, Paul Ratnapalan, Mohana Lyness, Emily Leydon, Geraldine M Dambha-Miller, Hajira Morrison, Leanne Everitt, Hazel A Bishop, Felicity L
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	BackgroundPractitioner expressions of optimism and empathy may improve treatment engagement, adherence, and patient satisfaction but are not delivered consistently amid the challenges of everyday clinical practice.AimTo explore primary care practitioner (PCP) views about optimistic and empathic communication in consultations; and to identify behavioural, attitudinal, and/or contextual issues likely to encourage or deter PCPs from practising such communication.Design & settingQualitative interview study with 20 PCPs (GPs, practice nurses, and primary care physiotherapists).MethodSemi-structured telephone interviews with 20 PCPs. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsA conceptual mismatch between optimism and patient expectations became apparent; when asked how PCPs communicate about the likely effects of a treatment, answers were focussed around managing patient expectations. When prompted, it became clear PCPs were open to communicating optimistically with patients, but emphasised the need for realism. Concerns arose that patients may not be receptive to optimistic messages, especially when holding negative expectations. PCPs felt that expressing empathy is fundamental to all clinical consultations, noting that it can be challenging. Some PCPs worried that increasing expressions of empathy might increase their risk of clinician burnout and felt guilty about (appropriately) communicating empathy while maintaining some emotional distance.ConclusionPCPs agreed expressing realistic optimism during consultations could aid communication and would constitute a novel change to practice. PCPs strive for clinical empathy but can struggle to manage emotional self-protection. Specific training to help PCPs express realistic optimism and empathy, and better utilise efficient non-verbal skills could help these issues.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC9680746&blobtype=pdf
Journal	BJGP Open
Volume Number	6
PubMed Central reference number	PMC9680746
Issue Number	3
PubMed reference number	35379688
e-ISSN	23983795
DOI	10.3399/bjgpo.2021.0221
Language	English
Publisher	Royal College of General Practitioners
Publisher Date	2022-09-28
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This article is Open Access: CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Copyright © 2022, The Authors
Subject Keyword	Empathy optimism Primary Health Care qualitative research physician–patient relations general practitioners
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Family Practice