Digital Empathy 2.0: Connecting With Patients Using the Written Word
Chat-based telehealth has been expanding with the resulting concern of the further deterioration of the clinician-patient relationship. As this relationship hinges on fostering a human connection and trust, understanding, and creating digital empathy for the written word becomes crucial. Currently most of the literature focuses on training and empathy over face-to-face video visits leaving a gap for training and education over chat. Chat-based telehealth leverages clinicians as well as artificial intelligence, so the use of empathetic statements and protocols can be employed. However, clinicians will still require an understanding and training in how to convey digital empathy over the written word. In this paper, we offer some tips for training on digital empathy over this modality.
As clinical care increasingly moves to online and virtual spaces, the clinician-patient relationship is being redefined. Clinicians must adapt to form and maintain a human connection with their patients. During in-person interactions, empathy involves under-standing another person’s experience, connecting with their emotions, and responding in a caring way. Beyond mere politeness or interest, empathy requires an active acknowledgment from the clinician when relating to the patient’s mindset and emotions. Research shows clinician empathy improves patient satisfaction, adherence, and health outcomes. Expanding on empathy shown in the exam room, Digital Empathy is “traditional empathetic characteristics, such as concern and caring for others, expressed through computer-mediated communications.”
Want to read further? Head here: https://doi.org/10.30953/thmt.v8.433
Matthew Sakumoto, MD | Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA
Aditi Joshi, MD | Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA