Abstract
This paper develops a framework of the role of empathy in patient care and explicitly links the framework to important outcomes. Following a definition of empathy and clinical examples, evidence is reviewed on the relevance of empathy to increasing patient satisfaction, increasing adherence with physician recommendations, and decreasing the frequency of medical malpractice suits.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Becker, M. H., & Maiman, L. A. (1975). Sociobehavioral determinants of compliance with health and medical care recommendations.Medical Care, 12, 10–24.
Becker, M. H., & Rosenstock, I. M. (1984). Compliance and medical advice. In A. Steptoe & A. Matthews (Eds.),Health care and human behavior. London: Academic Press.
Beckman, H. B., Markakis, R. M., Suchman, A. L., & Frankel, R. M. (1994). The doctorpatient relationship and malpractice: Lessons from plaintiff depositions.Archives of Internal Medicine, 154, 1365–1370.
Branch, W. T., & Malik, T. K. (1993). Using ‘windows of opportunities’ in brief interviews to understand patients' concerns.Journal of the American Medical Association, 269, 1667–1668.
Cohen-Cole, S. (1991).The medical interview: The three function approach. St. Louis: Mosby Year Book.
Cohen-Cole, S. A., & Bird, J. (1985). Interviewing the cardiac patient II: A practical guide for helping patients cope with their emotions.Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Care, January/February2: 7–12.
DiMatteo, M. R., Taranto, A., Friedman, H. S., & Prince, L. M. (1980). Predicting patient satisfaction from physicians' non-verbal communication skills.Medical Care, 18, 376–387.
Frankel, R. M., & Beckman, H. B. (1989). Conversation and compliance with treatment recommendations: An application of micro-interactional analysis in medicine. In B. L. Dervin, B. Grossberg, B. Okeefe, & E. Wartella (Eds.),Rethinking Communication Volume 2: Paradigm Exemplars, Newbury Park, California, Sage.
Garrity, T. F. (1981). Medical compliance and the clinician-patient relationship: A review.Social Science and Medicine, 15E, 215–222.
Goleman, D. (1991, November 13). All too often the doctor isn't listening, studies show.The New York Times C-1; C-15.
Hall, J. A., & Dornan, M. C (1988). Meta-analysis of satisfaction with medical care: Description of research domain and analysis of overall satisfaction levels.Social Science and Medicine 27, 637–644.
Haynes, R. B. (1976). A critical review of the ‘determinants’ of patient compliance with therapeutic regimens. In D. L. Sackett & R. B. Haynes (Eds.),Compliance with therapeutic regimens. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Inui, T. S., & Carter, W. B. (1985). Problems and prospects for health services research on provider-patient communication.Medical Care, 23, 521–538.
Lazare, A. (1989). Three functions of the clinical interview. In A. Lazare (Ed.),Outpatient psychiatry: Diagnosis and treatment (pp. 153–159). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.
Lester, G. W., & Smith, S. G. (1993). Listening and talking to patients: A remedy for malpractice suits.Western Journal of Medicine, 158, 268–272.
Markakis, K. M., Suchman, A. L., Beckman, H. B., & Frankel, R. M. (1993, May).Coming to terms with empathy: Raters of the lost art. Workshop presentation, Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine, Washington DC.
Messinger, O. J. (1989). The patient's perception of care: A factor in medical litigation.Canadian Family Physician, 35: 133–135
Novack, D. H. (1987). Therapeutic aspects of the clinical encounter.Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2, 346–355.
Peabody, F. W. (1927). The care of the patient.Journal of the American Medical Association, 88, 877–882.
Poole, A. D., & Samson-Fisher, R. W. (1980). Long-term effects of empathy training on the interview skills of medical students.Patient Counseling and Health Education, 2, 125–127.
Rogers, C. R. (1975). Empathetic: An unappreciated way of being.Counseling and Psychology, 5, 2–10.
Samson-Fisher, R. W., & Poole, A. D. (1978). Training medical students to empathize: An experimental study.Medical Journal of Australia, 1, 473–476.
Spiro, H. (1992). What is empathy and can it be taught?Annals of Internal Medicine, 15, 843–846.
Squier, R. W. (1990). A model of empathic understanding and adherence to treatment regimens in practitioner-patient relationships.Social Science and Medicine, 30, 325–339.
Stewart, M., Brown, J., and Weston, W. (1989). Patient-centered interviewing, Part III: Five provocative questions.Canadian Family Physician, 35: 159–161.
Stiles, W., Putnam, S., Wolfe, M., & James, S. (1979). Interaction exchange structure and patient satisfaction with medical interviews.Medical Care, 17, 667–679.
Volk, L. A. (1992, May).Review and analysis of ambulatory care claims: 1985–1992. Paper presented at a forum of the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Cambridge, MA.
Wasserman, R. C., Inui, T. S., Barriatua, R. D., Carter, W. B., & Lippincott, P. (1984). Pediatric clinicians' support for parents makes a difference: An outcome-based analysis of clinician-patient interaction Pediatrics.74, 1047–1053.
Wells, K. B., Benson, M. C., & Hoff, P. (1985). A model for teaching the brief psychosocial interview.Journal of Medical Education, 60, 181–188.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Frankel, R.M. Emotion and the physician-patient relationship. Motiv Emot 19, 163–173 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02250509
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02250509