Back
We rely a lot on various medications, both in treatment and for patient management. In some cases, perhaps we rely on pharmacological aids a bit too much.
A recent study by French researchers in Lyons showed that calming communication techniques might actually create a superior medical experience for anxious patients, specifically with regards to sedatives administered before a surgery.
Conversational hypnosis
The study tracked 100 patients, 50 who received hydroxyzine, a typical pre-operative sedative, and the rest receiving quiet, positive oral statements from attending physicians.
The patients' comfort levels were measured both subjectively and with the objective Analgesia/Nociception Index test. The results showed that use of calming verbal communication brought patients a higher degree of comfort.
A recipe for calming communication
National Center for Biotechnology Information advocates for the use of five emotional response skills when dealing with "difficult" patients, including those considered to be at risk of or suffering from heightened anxiety.
The response skills include:
- Reflection: Verbally acknowledge the patient's anxiety, commenting about the emotion directly and as soon as it is observed.
- Legitimization: Empathize with the patient, expressing an understanding of why a patient might be anxious in his or her position.
- Support: Express an active interest in caring for the patient and a willingness to work with him or her through difficult situations.
- Partnership: Commit to work collaboratively with the patient toward a positive health outcome, rather than filling an authoritarian role.
- Respect: Identify something the patient is doing well and compliment him or her on it.
As locum tenens doctors, you encounter patients from so many disparate cultural, socioeconomic and ideological backgrounds. Regardless of the setting, it is reasonable for patients to express anxiety in unfamiliar medical situations.
Remember this and consider using calming language when working with an anxious patient, and also with or in place of sedatives before an operation or procedure.