Coaching: a personal touch

In his article “We all contain multitudes,” Morgan asks whether health professionals should be viewed as role models or more as coaches in regards to healthcare advice.1 Like most discussions around healthcare, it is important to be patient centred. Are patients who are struggling with their diet, smoking, or alcohol intake more likely to listen to a healthcare professional who is a teetotal marathon runner or one who has personally struggled with one or more of these problems? Studies have shown that if patients perceive a doctor as overweight, they might see them as less credible.23 Knowing that these initial judgments are likely to occur in many consultations, should health professionals tackle this?If discussing sensitive issues from a personal point of view helps to improve the doctor-patient relationship, and thus improve health outcomes, then this should happen. If they are not discussed, we are providing an inferior treatment. One of…
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