As you already know, that connection is a link between people who have something in common or have acknowledged one another in some way.
Establishing meaningful connections has been positioned as integral to patient centered care with better quality relationships associated with improved clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and adherence.
There are three ways clinicians can consciously form connections that align with patient-centered care:
1. Acknowledge the individual — clinicians verbally and non-verbally meet patients as equals, validate their experiences, and individualize treatment.
2. Use the body as a pivot point — the clinician’s ability to clarify physical problems and solutions, facilitate patients’ connection to their bodies, and use touch to bridge a gap.
3. Give-of-self — extra investment therapists put toward helping patients when its needed, inside and outside of the clinical interaction.
-
Further reading — Hutting et al (2021). Patient-centered care in musculoskeletal practice: Key elements to support clinicians to focus on the person. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102434