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Should docs display emotions at the bedside?

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, April 29, 2008

An April 22 New York Times article attempts to answer a question as old as the practice of medicine: should doctors display emotions or stay stoic at the bedside? While some physicians believe emotional displays do not benefit patients and can lead to physician burnout, others believe that emotional displays, such as crying in front of patients or hugging patients, it is beneficial for both parties.

Although there is not a concrete answer to this question, several physicians from Harvard Medical School reported at a recent Society of General Internal Medicine meeting that 69% of medical students and 74% of interns said they had cried on the job at least once.

 

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