Physician Emotion and Self-disclosure in Serious Illness Conversations: Impact on Trust, Compassion, Professionalism and Comfort

The authors aimed to investigate how physician self-disclosure and emotional expression during serious illness conversations influence patients' perceptions of compassion, trust, professionalism, and comfort. Their study found that both emotional expression and self-disclosure positively impacted compassion, trust, and comfort ratings, while not significantly affecting perceptions of professionalism. These results challenge traditional views in medical culture, suggesting that such behaviors can enhance physician-patient relationships in serious illness care.