Good bedside manner makes patients better

MOST of us expect our doctor to be sympathetic when we are unwell – after all, they are members of the caring profession.

However a good bedside manner could actually affect how fast and well we recover from our illness, a study shows.

Researchers at Glasgow University have found the more empathetic a GP is thought to be by their patient, the better they are a month later. To prove it, they filmed nearly 700 patients’ appointments with family doctors across 20 practices.

They recorded the number of times doctors smiled and for how long, how many times they nodded, their eye contact and time spent looking at a computer.

When researchers returned to the patients four weeks after their appointment, those who found their GP empathetic had better recovery outcomes.

The study, which looked at patients in deprived areas of Greater Glasgow and Clyde and more affluent parts of the same area, found empathy helped them get better in both. But it revealed that people in poorer areas found their doctors less sympathetic, while evidence showed these GPs spent less time looking at their patients and gave fewer supportive expressions.

Professor Stewart Mercer, the lead author, said: ‘We believe that patients, if they think their doctor is listening and paying attention, are more likely to follow their advice in terms of medication and self-management.’