Anesthesia Coding Alert

Anesthesiologists usually have much briefer face-to-face time with patients before procedures than physicians in other specialties. If your providers are stepping up to fill gaps during the current public health emergency (PHE), however, they might find themselves conducting virtual visits with patients. Follow our experts’ advice to provide patients with medical and emotional reassurance in those situations.

Why it matters: Displaying empathy during a virtual encounter may be a challenge at first but figuring out how to do so is crucial; empathy is an important aspect of the patient-provider relationship.

Some researchers and other stakeholders have been pushing for medical education to include training in empathy, and digital empathy especially. The coarseness and vitriol often on display in (nonmedical) interactions on social media, etc., really highlights how people may struggle to connect without the signs and signifiers of tone, body language, or eye contact.

“Mobile and social media use has transformed when and how individuals interact with others. The ability to instantly share thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with the rest of society via digital channels can occur in mere seconds, often without the empathetic social filter that accompanies traditional communications. Moreover, digital communications are devoid of many of the emotional signals and cues experienced in face-to-face settings, often leading to more impersonal interactions,” say Christopher Terry, PharmD, and Jeff Cain, EdD, MS, in their article “The Emerging Issue of Digital Empathy,” which was published in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

“These changes in modern technology present challenges to the evolving socio-communicative aspects of health care and require an understanding of the emerging construct of ‘digital empathy.’ We offer a definition of digital empathy as the ‘traditional empathic characteristics such as concern and caring for others expressed through computer-mediated communications,’” Terry and Cain say.

Don’t Shy Away From Vulnerability

Acknowledging the unprecedented circumstances — and the inconvenience of meeting virtually — can be a good first step in both maintaining trust and helping patients feel comfortable.

“One of the most important things is to acknowledge the uncertainty of this time up front, to thank patients for being flexible in agreeing to video/phone visits, and to explain why this is necessary right now — yes, some people are insisting that they be seen in person. I like to let people know where I am — at home, just like them — and that if an in-person evaluation is needed, this will be arranged,” says Dominic Decker, MD, MS, with Allina Health in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Patients may look to clinicians as a source of reassurance, especially since the pandemic is rooted in public health, and it’s easy to offer reassurance during an encounter.

“I’ve also been telling people that I’ll look forward to seeing them in person once this is over, which I think imparts some sense of hope. Overall, I’ve tried to show some humanity by being home and vulnerable, just like them,” Decker says.

It’s also OK — and probably helpful — for clinicians to acknowledge to themselves the grief they may feel at the changes in procedure and the discomfort surrounding those changes.

“All that being said — virtual visits are so inferior to in-person ones. I really miss seeing and examining people. Providing reassurance over a video chat is one thing, but actually sitting next to someone and placing your hand on their arm or shoulder is something completely different, and I miss that so much. It takes part of the enjoyment away from my job,” Decker says.