How can you show empathy in clinical settings?

In my experience the best way to explain empathy to others is being able to put yourself in the other person's shoes in order to make the situation real to you.

I've found empathy particularly helpful in situations when patients seem upset. Typically, the dissatisfaction doesn't stem from the quality of care, but often the feeling of not being heard or understood. Taking a moment to listen rather than explain can do wonders for the physician-patient relationship.

This does not always come across as obvious, especially to surgeons. They are so focused on the task at hand, the job to be done, and the details of the surgery that they can forget to ask about the patient's pain, tell them how sorry they are the patient is suffering, and that they understand how difficult this must be. I worked with a surgeon once where we role played this so he could practice using empathetic phrases. It wasn't that he was a mean heartless person, but this was just a skill he didn't really work on. Even phrases like "I'm sorry this is so hard" or "ouch, that must be difficult" go a long way.

Having experience being a patient advocate I like to always ask physicians 'If I was your wife/mother/daughter what treatment plan would you recommend?' This allows the clinician to slow down and put things in perspective. Physicians have a difficult job and sometimes can start to disengage with the fact that they are treating someones wife/daughter/mother in order to continue pushing through and seeing other patients. Being able to build a wall to emotion is a necessity in this field but knowing when to tear that wall down is key.

When I speak with patients who feel dissatisfied with their care team, the crux of their issues are often empathy related. When running from appointment to appointment, before you enter into a conversation or new physical space, a physician or health care provider should take deep breath and ask themselves two questions: 1. If I were the patient right now, how would I wish this appointment would go? 2. How can I show up to make that happen? This five-second exercise can change the way a provider enters a room and sets the tone of the interaction, because it grounds them in an empathetic approach. By grounding, body language, communication style, and tone all align to a more empathetic approach that fosters trust and relationship.

Showing empathy doesn't have to be complicated, nor does it have to be "touchy-feely." ?? Just acknowledge their feelings. Remember, empathy doesn't necessarily mean agreeing, it just means recognizing. It's okay to acknowledge a patient's fears or frustrations - in fact, it will usually help. Once this is established, you can continue working together toward getting them well with a higher level of trust.

Demonstrate active listening, acknowledge patients' feelings, use empathetic language, and consider their perspective. Non-verbal cues like eye contact and body language also convey empathy in clinical settings. Additionally, ask open-ended questions to understand patients' concerns, validate their emotions, and express genuine compassion. Taking time to address their individual needs and providing support can further enhance empathy in clinical settings!

A few things to keep in mind when speaking with a physician: -They are human just like you -They have hectic schedules which can result in coming off as rushed during appointments -They have possibly had a patient with poor outcomes right before your visit with them While keeping things in mind, I think it is beneficial to find a physician that has the same core values as you and to try and stay consistent to build a relationship with that person. Being respectful of their time and coming to your appointments prepared is also a great start!

In my experience, practicing empathy sometimes means taking a pause, assessing a situation, and thinking before you speak. Doing more listening than talking in most cases. This isn't alway as easy as it may seem, but taking those steps are important in leadership as well - pause, assess, reflect, then speak.

Everyone deserves empathy not merely a select group in healthcare. In fact, since nurses do a lion’s share of the work we need the public, legislators, business people, boards, administrators, and the other disciplines to show empathy towards nurses. This seems impossible for some of the listed above. When you are operating from a place of greed and are exploiting workers for your own personal entertainment and enrichment that is not empathy. Valuing each human being begins with trusting relationships that operate from a true place of concern rather than abuse. Overloading work onto humans is oppression and exploitation, once these behaviors stop it may be simpler for others to be more empathetic because of the use of role modeling.

It's vital to remember that we are all human and while we may fall short sometimes or come off rude there is very little percentage of people that are truly vicious and evil. If someone comes off in a rude manner and it feels like they lack empathy for you or your situation, it is a good idea to return what you are asking for and show empathy to them.