Does a doctor’s bedside manner really matter?

Who cares about bedside manner as long as he or she is a good doctor?

YOU should care. A new study rated doctors on an empathy scale by measuring how much they felt a patient’s understanding and emotion played a role in their treatment. Patients of doctors who scored high on the empathy scale experienced 41% fewer complications than those with less compassionate physicians.

The theory behind the contrast in care is all about communication. Patients are much more likely to trust a doctor who sincerely cares. Doctors who don’t encourage their patients to speak openly, or look beyond the issue at hand, will likely miss behavior and symptoms that could reveal important diagnostic clues.