Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2004; 9: 31
To prospectively assess the influence of initial consultation length, empathy (CARE Measure) and patient enablement on perceived health changes over 12 months in patients attending the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital (GHH).
GHH outpatients completed a questionnaire at their first appointment with follow-up questionnaires at 3 and 12 months.
Empathy score at first consultation was associated with ongoing empathy at 3 months (Spearman’s rho 0.572, P < 0.0001). Empathy scores at first consultation also predicted overall enablement at 12 months (rho 0.281, P < 0.05). Enablement score at first consultation was associated with overall enablement at 3 months (rho 0.255, P < 0.05) and 12 months (rho 0.282, P < 0.05). Both empathy and enablement at 3 months predicted overall enablement at 12 months (rho 0.327, P < 0.01; rho 0.577, P < 0.0001, respectively). Empathy was not prospectively related to health outcomes at 12 months, whereas enablement score at 3 months was highly predictive of changes in main complaint and well-being at 12 months (rho 0.459 and 0.507, respectively, P < 0.0001). The length of the first consultation was related to initial and subsequent empathy scores, overall enablement and outcomes.
Empathy is crucial for enablement, which in turn is strongly related to perceived change in health. Consultation length is central to all of these relationships.
SWM is supported by a Primary Care Career Research Fellowship from the CSO, Scottish Executive. APB received funding from ADHOM.
