Just a few months ago, I experienced firsthand why empathetic listening is so important when it comes to patient care. After arriving at my doctor’s office for a routine check-up, the following events occurred:
- a nurse called my name from the waiting room,
- she motioned at me to quickly follow her into the exam room (averaging a pace that left me roughly 7-10 feet behind her),
- she asked me a series of questions while keeping her eyes glued to her electronic tablet (I had trouble keeping up),
- and she promptly ended our interaction by requesting that I remove my shirt and informed me that the doctor would be with me shortly.
Even though I had been attending that practice for many years, I found myself thinking in that moment, “I’ve got to get a new doctor!” But just then the physician entered the room and the way she treated me changed my whole perspective on my experience as a patient that day. Instead of changing physicians, I made another follow-up appointment! My interaction with this doctor was so different from that with the nurse.
And this difference had nothing to do with competency; it had everything to do with listening and empathy and how, when combined, they contributed to a positive patient experience. In this post, I will go over the various different benefits of empathetic listening for physicians and how this skill can help you improve communication, health outcomes, and a sense of well-being.
Improved Communication
One of the largest benefits of empathetic listening is that it helps you better understand what your patients are trying to say. It provides the space and opportunity for your patients to be heard. One study cited in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that physicians start interrupting patients after only 11 seconds on average. However, it actually takes a period of anywhere between 90 seconds and two minutes for patients to feel heard and understood.
When you take the time to really listen to your patients, you gain a more complete understanding of what’s going on in their lives and can better decipher which concerns matter to them most. As their physician, this knowledge then allows you to make more informed decisions on the best courses of action moving forward. As you can see, empathetic listening between you and your patients builds trust through improved communication. Establishing this trust can then help you both better cope with the emotionally-charged interactions that are common in the health field.
Better Patient Compliance, Satisfaction, and Improved Health Outcomes
Patients who feel understood are generally more open and responsive to their physician’s advice. Research has shown that combining empathy with active listening produces better adherence to medications, decreased malpractice cases, fewer mistakes, and increased patient satisfaction.
When patients feel as though they are on the same age as their doctors, their compliance improves. Additionally, a study conducted at Mass General Hospital in 2012 found that medical professionals who communicate with empathy have higher patient satisfaction ratings. These effective interactions via empathetic listening actually improve the patient experience which ultimately leads to improved clinical health outcomes. The more trust you maintain with your patient, the more willing and happy that patient will be to comply with your recommendations.
Improved Sense of Well-Being for Physicians and Medical Staff
Finally, empathetic listening also improves feelings of satisfaction for physicians and medical staff as well. When a patient feels valued by you, they are more likely to open up to you. This vulnerability then helps you gain access to the critical information you need to do your job well. If patients keep details from you because of mistrust in your relationship, costly mistakes can occur that can significantly affect their health outcomes. In the long run, practicing empathetic listening relieves your stress and boosts your well-being because it equips you to do your job better. It’s a widely beneficial skill that can help minimize burnout in a field that often involves stressful situations.
Final Thoughts: The Impact of Empathetic Listening
Empathetic listening is incredibly vital to the patient experience–so much so that the absence of it even made me consider switching medical practices. But when you truly listen to your patients empathetically and actively, you gain a greater understanding of their underlying needs and feelings, allowing you to do your job better and for them to be cared for well. For more insight on how you can actually employ empathetic listening with your patients, check out [>>blog post].
