Bedside Manner Aids Recovery

Research at the University of York suggests that the relationship between patients and doctors could be a key factor in recovery from illness.

Reassuring patients about the treatment and a warm and sympathetic approach were seen to have a beneficial effect.

However, the British Medical Association believe that GP's and Hospital's excessive workloads are making good bedside manner unrealistic in the UK.

Dr John Chisolm of the BMA's GP's committee says "Patients need more time with their doctors. Consultation times of only eight minutes or less are unfair to patients".

"It does not give the space they need for reassurance and discussion of the treatments they need or advice on how to live with chronic illness. For doctors, all the pleasure of medicine is destroyed by the conveyor-belt pace".

Friday, 30 March 2001