Doctor self-disclosure in the consultation

Abstract

Doctors' self-disclosures to patients are an important dynamic in consultations. These can be categorised as unavoidable, inadvertent or deliberate. It is important in facilitating therapeutic outcomes to reflect on the types of messages unavoidably communicated by the doctor's appearance, speech and practice and consulting room environments, and to recognise self-disclosures caused by disruptive doctor transferences, so these transferences can be processed and minimised. Deliberate choices by doctors to disclose personal information and experiences are common. Without awareness and understanding, this can be unhelpful. Guidelines are provided to facilitate self-disclosures that build the doctor-patient relationship and improve therapeutic outcomes.

Self-care and nature in the private and professional practice of healthcare professionals in Belgium

“…Although the value of the use of SD in a therapeutic or medical setting is a discussed and controversial theme in healthcare literature (Knox et al, 2003;Arroll et al, 2015;Mann, 2018) and most HCP are trained not to self-disclose (Arroll et al, 2015), studies show that SD is used by HCP under certain conditions (Arroll et al, 2015;Mann, 2018). SD can be broadly defined as 'therapist statements that reveal something personal about the therapist' (Hill et al, 2018).…”

“…SD can be broadly defined as 'therapist statements that reveal something personal about the therapist' (Hill et al, 2018). Despite the lack of consensus of its use, SD might be a helpful intervention when used in a skillful way, supported by guidelines, and trained in professional education (Knox et al, 2003;Mann, 2018).…”

“…This fragmentation could be of concern since SD is an important pattern in being a role model (Knox et al, 2003). Taking all this into account, the use of deliberate SD with careful thought in which HCP decide what exactly to disclose (Mann, 2018) could be an opportunity to share his broader personal RWN experiences during the consultation. Combined with using several roles, as generally done for other SC-strategies, HCP may engage in deep conversations with their patients or clients to explore a broader realm of nature experience, and inspire where necessary (Fig.…”

“…4). However, while pointing out that SD could be seen as an opportunity to introduce RWN to patients or clients, and thus used as an intervention (Graham et al, 2019), the conditions for its correct use (Knox et al, 2003;Arroll et al, 2015;Hill et al, 2018;Mann, 2018) should be considered, such as the SD-type, the decision when not to disclose (Danzer, 2018) and its possible consequences. Therefore, we recommend that deliberate SD combined with the use of roles could be considered as a skill to be thoroughly trained during the professional education, when it comes to introducing the RWN into PP.…”

Should Physicians Disclose Their Own Health Challenges? Perspectives of Patients With Chronic Pain

“…Although physician self-disclosure may influence the patient-physician relationship and patient outcomes, its utility as a communication tool remains controversial (2). Self-disclosure may expand typical professional boundaries, shift focus from the patient onto the physician, and lead to loss of trust in the physician; alternatively, self-disclosure may enhance patient trust in the physician and their recommendations, alleviation of loneliness, increased hope and motivation, and a feeling of being understood (3)(4)(5).…”