By Jane Falk, RN • March 28, 2018
When we’re dealing with a medical issue, we all hope our care providers will be empathetic - that is, able to truly understand our concerns, worries and emotions surrounding the condition or its treatment. Empathy has long been considered an important part of having a good “bedside manner,” and in 2015, the American Association of Medical Colleges “officially” acknowledged its importance by incorporating questions about empathy in medical college admission tests (or MCAT).
Plenty of studies have focused on empathy and its importance not just in medicine and health, but in human relationships overall. Without diving too far into the details, the basic concept of empathy is that it involves actually imagining another person’s perspective, understanding that perspective and then conveying that understanding to the patient, usually through behaviors or actions. Essentially, empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes so you can really have a true idea of what the person is going through, then use that information to guide and support them.
The Impact of Empathy in Healthcare
Since medical care choices can be subjective and depend so much on a patient’s own feelings and perspectives, it’s easy to see how applying empathy and an empathetic attitude toward care can be beneficial. Certainly, working with someone who’s really invested in your welfare improves your own satisfaction level with your care, and that can in turn improve your mental outlook on your care and your health. When we're surrounded by people who have positive attitudes, we're far more likely to feel positive ourselves; that's just human nature (or human psychology).
But what about more objective data? Does empathy truly improve actual outcomes? The answer is yes! Several studies have looked at the importance of empathy in healthcare settings specifically to look at the relationship between an empathetic approach to care and patient outcomes (you can see a handful here), and what those studies found can be summed up by an article published in the British Journal of General Practice: “Empathy lowers patients’ anxiety and distress and delivers significantly better clinical outcomes.”
Why the correlation? Well, for one thing, patients are more likely to discuss their symptoms and other health-related issues with a care provider who’s empathetic, which means doctors, nurses and care teams are more informed - and therefore better able to customize treatment plans that can, in turn, improve patients’ outcomes. Another possibility: When we truly feel someone cares about us, we’re more likely to care about ourselves and to be invested in our own recovery. People who play a more proactive role in recovery tend to have a more positive outlook, to recover more quickly and to experience better long-term outcomes and a better quality of life as well.
Empathy and Your Recovery
At Muve Health, we’re keenly aware of the importance of empathy in the patient recovery process. In fact, empathy is one of the guiding principles that led to our founding. Our Total Joint Replacement care delivery program is based on a deep understanding of patients' pre-surgical, surgical, and post-op recovery needs, expectations, and potential anxieties. From the design of our surgery centers and Suites settings, to the educational guidance and post-operative support we offer, empathy is at the core of what we do.
How do we stay focused on empathetic care? By listening. We solicit feedback from our patients and affiliated healthcare provider teams and act on that feedback to ensure the solutions we provide are forward-thinking and patient-centric. We encourage our patients and our affiliated care teams to be open and collaborative in order to optimize our approach, with the goal of achieving outstanding outcomes for each of our unique patients.
If you’re considering joint replacement surgery, it’s important to realize that optimizing your recovery experience is a key not only to experiencing the best possible outcome, but also to enjoying the best possible quality of life - during your healing and beyond. Contact Muve Health's affiliated Muve Lakeway Surgery Center and Suites location today to learn more about our innovative program that helps empower patients to be active participants in the journey back to living the lives they love - healthier and happier.
