We aimed to assess expressions of negative emotions among patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers and oncologists' empathic responses during consultations in an Asian setting.
Research on interpersonal effectiveness suggests that empathic, patient-centred consultations improve patient satisfaction [ 6, 7] and enablement [ 8], and may improve health outcomes [ 9- 11].
This factorial trial investigated specific and non-specific effects and randomised participants to one of three interventions: real needles, Streiberger (placebo) needles and mock electrical stimulation (a non-needle placebo); one of two consultation types: empathic and non-empathic; and one of three practitioners.
These findings do not enforce the widely held view that it is the empathic nature of the consultations that governs their success.
The empathic nature of homeopathic consultations is often cited as the reason why patients appear to respond: the long interview – about an hour-and-a-half – carried out by an empathetic practitioner during diagnosis may explain why people report improvements in their health.
GPs who provided sufficient time in consultations, were genuinely empathic, and provided relational continuity were to some extent 'exempt' from this judgement of social distance, and were more likely to be regarded as understanding the 'bigger picture'.
66 Audio-recordings of consultations in America have found empathic opportunities are present in 37% of conversations, but oncologists give empathic responses less than one-third of the time; a low rate which likely discourages any further expression of emotion by patients.
To evaluate the effect of physician training in empathic skills on patients' satisfaction just after their first consultation in a private fertility clinic setting.
These findings suggest that Chinese patients in Hong Kong value engaged, empathic primary care doctors and judge the quality of consultations largely on these human skills and the attitudes and values that underpin them, as well as on the perceived outcomes of treatment.
For example, attentive, friendly and empathic practitioners may be considered more effective than those who keep consultations formal [ 24].
The present study has shown that patients living in a high deprivation area in the UK view quality of consultation in general practice as relating both the GPs' competence, and the GPs empathic caring.
