Doctor spills the beans on one line to say to get ‘doctors to listen to you’
While doctors are here to pay attention to your needs, most of the appointments feel rushed, leaving the patients feeling neglected of an appropriate diagnosis. Dr. Trisha Pasricha (@trishapasrichamd), The Washington Post’s Ask a Doctor columnist and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, on November 1, shared an approach every patient can take to get the attention of doctors and make them feel more empathetic towards them.
According to Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a study found that saying one particular line has made 59% of healthcare workers feel more "empathetic" towards the patients. "Almost half change how they treat you," The doctor shared. So what exactly is the line that will help patients feel seen? Well, according to Dr. Pasricha, sharing one personal detail of yourself can help you get the attention of your doctor. "Think about this as a question: what does your doctor need to know about you as a person?" she said. Dr. Pasricha also revealed that she has been asking this question to her patients for years, and it has changed their whole relationship.
Citing an example, she shared, "For example, I had a patient who told me: 'Before I got sick, I need you to know that I used to play volleyball in college and I used to go camping every single weekend.' I hadn't pictured something like that before. And so now I am seeing this athlete and a parent, not just somebody with a diagnosis." Although Dr. Pasricha notes that doctor visits are often rushed, saying this line could take the patient less than "thirty seconds." "It will make the next fourteen and a half minutes work much better," she added. In a 2019 study authored by Natalia Świątoniowska-Lonc, Jacek Polański, Wojciech Tański, and Beata Jankowska-Polańska for BMC Health Services Research, 250 patients with high blood pressure were surveyed.
The researchers found that how well doctors communicated with their patients affected how well those patients took care of themselves and followed their treatment plans. Only about 47% of patients said their doctor listened and paid attention to them, "excellent." Even fewer felt their doctor encouraged questions (28%), involved them in decisions (29%), or discussed next steps (35%). The researchers concluded that while many doctors communicated clearly, they often failed to make patients feel included.
Soon after the video went viral, many online users expressed their mixed reactions to the doctor's video. @kelly.mpc wrote, "Why are we putting this burden on the patient and not the doctor?" @8charlotterichards8 commented, "We shouldn’t have to use gimmicks to get good care." @eliana.press shared, "Doctors need to be reminded that they’re caring for humans?"
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