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16 PATIENT EXPERIENCE Virtual OR Tours May Reduce Presurgical Anxiety in Children By Brian Zimmerman C hildren who participated in a virtual reality tour experi- enced less presurgical anxiety than peers not given a VR tour, according to a study published in the British Journal of Surgery. For the study, researchers randomized 69 pediatric surgical pa- tients into VR or control groups. The 34 patients in the VR group received a tour of the operating room prior to surgery. Research- ers then assessed all patients' anxiety levels using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. The VR group displayed lower anxiety levels than the control group. "Medical practice has been changing a great deal with the con- vergence of [information and communications technology] and healthcare," said Dr. Sung-Hee Han, a physician in the depart- ment of anesthesia at Seoul National University College of Med- icine in South Korea. "This study shows how medicine and ICT can be coordinated to achieve clinical significance. More studies and investigations are expected in line with the current trend." n Study: Daily 5-Minute Conversations With Patients Boost Satisfaction Scores By Anuja Vaidya A five-minute conversation with a resident everyday has a sig- nificant impact on patient satisfaction, according to a study published in Family Medicine. Researchers from Charlottesville-based University of Virginia Health System examined the impact of a psychosocial intervention called BATHE — Background, Affect, Trouble, Handling and Empathy. The intervention aims to help physicians address the psychosocial issues their patients face. For the study, researchers randomly selected family medicine pa- tients to receive either BATHE or standard care, which is focused on treatment plans. The patients who received BATHE intervention had a daily brief conversation with a resident. The BATHE intervention group were significantly more likely to rate their medical care as excellent and to express a high degree of satisfaction. The patients were asked to rate their medical care on a five-point scale, and the BATHE patients gave providers an average score of 4.77, compared to the standard care group, which gave pro- viders an average score of 4.0. Additionally, researchers found the improvement in satisfaction scores among the BATHE group was linked to the perception that the physician "showed a genuine interest in me as a person." The BATHE conversations did not significantly add to the time physicians spent with patients. n The Most Crucial Aspect of Patient Interactions Physicians Often Miss By Mackenzie Bean T he success of modern medicine greatly relies on physicians' ability to genuinely listen to patients. However, some physicians believe genuine conversation with patients is no longer realistic given the size of their workload, among other factors. Rana Awdish, MD, medical director of care experi- ence for Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, and Leonard Berry, a health services researcher and professor of marketing at Texas A&M University's Mays Business School in College Station, shared three reasons physicians should slow down and ac- tively listen to patients in a recent article for Harvard Business Review. 1. Active listening builds a strong pa- tient-clinician relationship. Physicians can build trust with their patients by practicing good lis- tening skills and engaging in shared decision-mak- ing regarding treatment options. "A doctor's medical toolbox and supply of best-practice guidelines, am- ple as they are, do not address a patient's fears, grief over a diagnosis, practical issues of access to care, or reliability of their social support system," the authors wrote. "Overlooking these realities is perilous, both for the patient's well-being and for efficient delivery of care." 2. Rushed patient encounters have conse- quences. Physicians are more likely to offer inef- fective treatment and overlook valuable information when hurrying through a patient interaction. is behavior also reduces the joy of serving patients, which can contribute to physician burnout. 3. Physicians and patients play designated roles that hinder communication. e typical roles physicians and patients learn to play during an encounter also inhibit communication. Physicians learn to keep an even temperament and not grow too emotionally invested in patients. Meanwhile, patients ask few questions and usually defer to the expert. "When doctor and patient join forces, the team dynamic dismantles the harmful hierarchy. Both members of the dyad can rely on each other because neither owns all the data that matter," the authors wrote. n