Physician Empathy Inversely Linked to Patients' Back Pain Intensity, HRQOL
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 15, 2024 -- For patients with chronic low back pain, physician empathy is inversely associated with pain intensity, back-related disability, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, according to a study published online April 11 in JAMA Network Open.
John C. Licciardone, D.O., from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, and colleagues measured the association of physician empathy with pain, function, and HRQOL among patients with chronic low back pain. Data were included for 1,470 patients who completed 5,943 encounters.
The researchers found that greater physician empathy was inversely associated with pain intensity, back-related disability, and HRQOL deficits on each measure. Correspondingly, the very empathetic physician group reported lower mean pain intensity, less mean back-related disability, and fewer HRQOL deficits on each measure compared with the slightly empathetic physician group. All physician empathy group differences were clinically relevant, with Cohen d statistics varying from 0.21 to 0.30 for pain intensity and for back-related disability, fatigue, and pain interference. More favorable outcomes were seen in association with physician empathy compared with nonpharmacological treatments, opioid therapy, and lumbar spine surgery.
"Physician empathy is an important aspect of the patient-physician relationship among those with chronic pain," the authors write. "Greater efforts to cultivate and improve physician empathy appear warranted in this population."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2024
Read this next
ACG: 2000 to 2022 Saw Rise in Early-Onset CRC Mortality in the United States
THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 -- Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) mortality rose in the United States over the past two decades, most notably in patients aged 20 to 44 years...
Cell-Free Blood DNA Tests Less Effective Than Other CRC Screening
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 -- Cell-free DNA blood tests (cf-bDNA) may be more costly and less effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening than other screening modalities...
American College of Surgeons, Oct. 19-22
The annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons was held this year from Oct. 19 to 22 in San Francisco and attracted participants from around the world, including...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.