Why doctors burn out connecting with patients, and how to fix it
Most doctors were never taught how to sit with a patient's grief, anger, or fear without absorbing it. Eva Minkoff, a health care executive coach, and Kim Downey, a physical therapist and physician advocate, join Kevin to discuss their KevinMD article "How regulating clinical empathy prevents physician burnout." You'll hear why physicians who lean too far into patient emotion burnout, why those who shut down lose trust and treatment adherence, and why both paths end in the same exhaustion. Eva walks through her three-step framework (recognize the feeling, distinguish it from the story, address the emotion first) and explains why naming a patient's anger or grief in five seconds builds the connection that protects both the doctor and the care. Kim brings the patient view, sharing how doctors who stay present without drowning create the kind of relationship she calls sacred. If you're a clinician asking how to keep caring without burning out, listen for the five-second practice Eva walks through.
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