The relationship between doctor and patient makes therapy more effective.
Words and behaviors that pay attention to the emotions of patients, supporting them at all times, have positive effects at least as some pharmacological therapies – reveals a study of Massachusetts General Hospital published on Plos One.
The correct clinical treatment is certainly the first step in the success of a therapy, but it is also necessary that the patient feels understood and accepted.
The patient with Fibromyalgia is a complex patient, as he comes to our observation after a long period of suffering. He is tired, exhausted, demoralized, exhausted, strongly depressed, because he is considered an “imaginary patient”, a “good actor” who loves and tries to attract attention and, often, is not believed above all by the people closest to him.
It is with this heavy burden that the fibromyalgic patient sits before us, doctors, associating us with immense pain, with frustration, wary of exposing once again his pains, aware – or maybe not – of the high costs of treatment and exams that you will have to face.
The doctor must therefore master the rules of P.N.L. (Neuro Linguistic Programming), so as to transform the First Visit from “the umpteenth health service” into “a real involving moment”, and organize a Personalized Care Path.
The key of the Customized Path is the Tempo factor.
Time in qualitative and quantitative terms, in short, the first visit can not last ten minutes!
It is essential that the doctor knows how to listen to the patient’s emotional experience, how he exposes one symptom to the other, as well as how to grasp the global emotional, affective, bodily and social terrain in which he has lived and lives.
Establishing an empathy with the patient is not and can never be the result of chance, but is an art that is learned through study and continuous updating. And it requires commitment and dedication.
In conclusion, I would like to say to fibromyalgic patients: be wary of doctors who give you too little time altogether.
