Lucie Gehenne1, Sophie Lelorain2, Clarisse Eveno3, Guillaume Piessen3,4, Christophe Mariette3, Olivier Glehen5, Xavier D'journo6, Muriel Mathonnet7, Nicolas Regenet8, Bernard Meunier9, Anne-Sophie Baudry2,10, Véronique Christophe11. 1. SCALab UMR CNRS 9193, University of Lille, Villeneuve D'AscqCedex, Rue du Barreau BP 60149, Lille, France. lucie.gehenne@univ-lille.fr. 2. SCALab UMR CNRS 9193, University of Lille, Villeneuve D'AscqCedex, Rue du Barreau BP 60149, Lille, France. 3. Department of Digestive and Oncological Surgery, Claude Huriez University Hospital, F-59000, Lille, France. 4. UMR-S1277 - CANTHER Laboratory "Cancer Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies", Lille, France. 5. Department of General and Oncological Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 165 Chemin du grand Revoyet, 69310, Pierre-Bénite, France. 6. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Marseille Cancerology Research Center (CRCM), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, Marseille, France. 7. Department of Digestive Surgery, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France. 8. Department of Digestive Surgery, Nantes Hospital, Nantes, France. 9. Department of Hepatobiliary and Digestive Surgery, CHU, Rennes, France. 10. Pôle Cancérologie et Spécialités médicales, Centre Hospitalier de Valenciennes, Valenciennes, France. 11. SCALab UMR CNRS 9193, University of Lille, Villeneuve D'AscqCedex, Rue du Barreau BP 60149, Lille, France. veronique.christophe@univ-lille.fr.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of global physician empathy and its three subdimensions (establishing rapport, emotional and cognitive processes) on the severity of postoperative complications in a sample of cancer patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data on 256 patients with esogastric cancer from the French national FREGAT database. Empathy and its subdimensions were assessed using the patient-reported CARE scale and the severity of medical and surgical complications was reported with the Clavien-Dindo classification system. The usual covariates were included in multinomial logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Physician empathy predicted the odds of reporting major complications. When patients perceived high empathy, they were less likely to report major complications compared to no complications (OR = .95, 95% CI = [.91-.99], p = .029). Among the three dimensions, only "establishing rapport" (OR = .84, 95% CI = [.73-.98], p = .019) and the "emotional process" (OR = .85, 95% CI = [.74-.98], p = .022) predicted major complications. CONCLUSIONS: Physician empathy is essential before surgery. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms associating empathy with health outcomes in cancer. Physicians should be trained to establish good rapport with patients, especially in the preoperative period.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of global physician empathy and its three subdimensions (establishing rapport, emotional and cognitive processes) on the severity of postoperative complications in a sample of cancerpatients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data on 256 patients with esogastric cancer from the French national FREGAT database. Empathy and its subdimensions were assessed using the patient-reported CARE scale and the severity of medical and surgical complications was reported with the Clavien-Dindo classification system. The usual covariates were included in multinomial logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Physician empathy predicted the odds of reporting major complications. When patients perceived high empathy, they were less likely to report major complications compared to no complications (OR = .95, 95% CI = [.91-.99], p = .029). Among the three dimensions, only "establishing rapport" (OR = .84, 95% CI = [.73-.98], p = .019) and the "emotional process" (OR = .85, 95% CI = [.74-.98], p = .022) predicted major complications. CONCLUSIONS: Physician empathy is essential before surgery. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms associating empathy with health outcomes in cancer. Physicians should be trained to establish good rapport with patients, especially in the preoperative period.
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