51% of Clinicians Worry That Telehealth Hinders Ability to Show Empathy

Though a majority (63 percent) of clinicians worldwide expect most of their consultations to be remote within the next decade, 51 percent believe that telehealth will negatively impact their ability to demonstrate empathy with their patients, a new report revealed.

Developed by Elsevier Health and Ipsos, the Clinician of the Future report includes a quantitative survey, qualitative interviews, and roundtable discussions with nearly 3,000 practicing physicians and nurses worldwide. Of the total number of respondents, 434 were from the US.

Among the 51 percent of clinicians who agreed that telehealth would adversely affect their ability to show empathy to their patients, 54 percent were physicians, and 49 percent were nurses.

"Digital technology will put an additional screen – literally and metaphorically – between the clinician and their patient, requiring new approaches to delivering empathy," the report states.

Empathy from physicians is becoming increasingly important for patients. A vast majority of clinicians (82 percent) surveyed said that soft skills like listening and displaying empathy have become more critical in the last decade. In the US, 76 percent of clinicians agreed with this statement.

Though the importance of soft skills has grown, the report notes that technical skills will be key in the future.

Only 18 percent of respondents believe empathy will be one of the three most valuable capabilities for clinicians in 2031, a significant drop from the 29 percent who ranked empathy in the top three in 2021. Instead, the importance of digital and data analytics skills rose from only 10 percent of clinicians ranking these skills in the top three in 2021 to 37 percent doing the same in 2031.  

The growing value of technical skills is partly driven by the belief that most clinical consultations will be remote in 10 years. Not only did 63 percent of clinicians say that most consultations will be remote, but 49 percent said most healthcare would be provided in a patient's home.

Further, clinicians expect chatbots will manage 39 percent of initial discussions with patients in the next decade. In the US, 43 percent agreed there would be a rise in the use of chatbots.

Not only are apps transforming how patients interact with their healthcare system, but it is also changing where physicians get their information. More than half (58 percent) of clinicians said they will be using medical information apps as a way to stay on top of new developments in 10 years. The predicted usage of medical information apps in the US is 56 percent in the next decade.

"Now is the time for bold thinking — to serve providers and patients today and tomorrow," said Thomas Erlinger, MD, vice president, clinical analytics at Elsevier Health, in the news release. "We need to find ways to give clinicians the enhanced skills and resources they need to better support and care for patients in the future.

To keep up with rapid technological changes, clinical education will need an overhaul, with 83 percent of clinicians saying that their training needs to change. The changes must include training related to soft skills in digital environments, according to the report.