Moody MDs

Behind that white coat may beat a tender heart. A recent survey
shows that physicians experience a wide range of emotions while treating
patients. Gratitude, anxiety, happiness, sadness and anger top the list,
according to a report in Academic Medicine.

For the study, ten medical trainees were observed and asked to
document their emotions with a tape recorder. Researchers also
interviewed the subjects periodically during the week they were under observation.

Not surprisingly, the doctors' moods were connected to their
patients' well-being. Almost all physicians were happy when they
connected with their patients and when their patients' health improved.
Doctors also felt both compassion and sadness after a patient took a turn for the worse.

Deborah Kasman, a professor of internal medicine at Georgetown
University and lead researcher of the study, notes that doctors who
manage their emotions successfully work better and are healthier in the
long run, enjoying lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

Kasman also found that doctors can give better care and avoid burnout by
expressing their feelings.