The relationship between physician humility, physician-patient communication, and patient health

Abstract

Objective: Cultural portrayals of physicians suggest an unclear and even contradictory role for humility in the physician-patient relationship. Despite the social importance of humility, however, little empirical research has linked humility in physicians with patient outcomes or the characteristics of the doctor-patient visit. The present study investigated the relationship between physician humility, physician-patient communication, and patients' perceptions of their health during a planned medical visit.

Methods: Primary care physician-patient interactions (297 patients across 100 physicians) were rated for the physician's humility and the effectiveness of the physician-patient communication. Additionally, patients reported their overall health and physicians and patients reported their satisfaction with the interaction.

Results: Within-physician fluctuations in physician humility and self-reported patient health positively predicted one another, and mean-level differences in physician humility predicted effective physician-patient communication, even when controlling for the patient's and physician's satisfaction with the visit and the physician's frustration with the patient.

Conclusions: The results suggest that humble, rather than paternalistic or arrogant, physicians are most effective at working with their patients.

Practice implications: Interventions to improve physician humility may promote better communication between health care providers and patients, and, in turn, better patient outcomes.

Keywords: Humility; Perceived health; Physician–patient communication.