Cancer doctors may need training on empathy skills

(14 January 2008: VIDYYA MEDICAL NEWS SERVICE) -- Cancer specialists (oncologists) may need additional training to encourage patients to express their concerns and negative emotions and to respond empathically to these concerns, researchers recommended in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The report presented data from the Studying Communication in Oncologist-Patient Encounters (SCOPE) project, an NCI-funded, three-site study from Duke University, the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the University of Pittsburgh. It is based on results from 398 clinic conversations between 51 oncologists and 270 patients with advanced cancer. The study found that the oncologists encountered few empathic opportunities during their patient meetings (37 percent of visits) and responded with empathic statements infrequently (only 22 percent of the time).

Empathic responses are important in cancer care because "patients have less anxiety and depression and report greater satisfaction and adherence to therapy," the researchers noted. The study found that female patients were more likely to disclose painful emotions to female oncologists. In addition, younger oncologists and those who rated their orientation as more socioemotional than technical were more likely to respond with empathic statements.

"Oncologists and patients need to work to create an alliance conducive to patients expressing their emotions," the researchers suggested. Although the oncologists expressed high levels of confidence in addressing emotions, they may need more training to recognize emotions and to learn how to respond to patient concerns. "Many empathic opportunities were indirect and patients may be more satisfied if they can learn how to express their emotions more directly so that oncologists can respond appropriately," the authors noted.

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