Doctors' reassurances are often ineffective

Reassurance is accepted to be one of the commonest and most important clinical tasks, but Donovan and Blake show that patients may be worried rather than reassured by doctors' explanations of their complaints. They interviewed patients attending routine rheumatology outpatient clinics and observed their consultations with specialists (p 541). They found that typical patterns of reassurance, which aimed to allay fears and anxieties by minimising complaints, were not interpreted as reassuring. Reassurance was successful when patients perceived that their current symptoms and difficulties had been accepted and acknowledged.


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Relevant Article

Qualitative study of interpretation of reassurance among patients attending rheumatology clinics: "just a touch of arthritis, doctor?"
Jenny L Donovan and David R Blake
BMJ 2000 320: 541-544. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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