How to Communicate Empathy? Listen

By Wael Barsoum, MD

Remember television’s “Marcus Welby, MD,” an empathetic physician with a notable bedside manner? In this 1970s ABC series, Dr. Welby asked lots of questions, but mostly, it was his warmth and attentive ear that endeared him to his patients and the audience.

Nearly a half century later, we still celebrate a physician’s bedside manner as a measure of her ability to understand and treat patients successfully. Clearly, the need for empathy is fundamental in healthcare.

Communicate empathy by listening

Today, caregivers communicate with patients not just at the bedside or office, but by phone, email and text. They also communicate through their office staff or hospital personnel. Regardless of the medium, many caregivers recognize that the more important side of communication is listening, not speaking.

Catalyst, the NEJM’s digital consumer magazine, recently featured Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Experience Officer Adrienne Boissy, MD in a conversation about the game-changing communication program she created with Timothy Gilligan, MD, Vice Chair for Education at Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute.

In her comments, Dr. Boissy cites research confirming that communication impacts healthcare in a myriad of ways, including quality, teamwork and patient safety.

Teaching better communication to our patients

In fact, communication is at the core of the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Ask Me 3® campaign, which encourages patients and families to engage with physicians using three specific questions to better understand their health:

1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?

Cleveland Clinic also offers patients a guide and video to ensure that they are engaging effectively in their healthcare.

What do you believe makes for good communication with your care team? How do you show empathy to your patients? I think all of us could do more to emulate Dr. Welby, including training in leadership skills like communications.

Dr. Barsoum is President of Cleveland Clinic Florida and staff in Orthopaedic Surgery.