The interplay of psychological safety and empathy in geriatric care: A pathway to optimising healthcare

As practising geriatricians, we firmly believe that the principles of psychological safety and empathy are indispensable to the proficient delivery of healthcare services. This sentiment is well encapsulated in the work of Amy Edmondson, a respected Harvard Business School professor, who coined the term 'psychological safety'. This concept denotes an environment in which team members feel free to voice their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of backlash. By encouraging a collaborative atmosphere, mistakes are no longer seen as failures but rather embraced as unique opportunities for growth and learning —an idea that is consistent with Manu Kapur’s research program on Productive Failure.

 

Edmondson's insightful research also points towards an intriguing finding — healthcare teams that maintain high levels of psychological safety are more adept at leveraging collective intelligence. The resultant benefits are multifold, leading to enhanced patient outcomes, improved team performance, and a decrease in avoidable errors. These advantages are particularly salient within the sphere of care for older people.

 

Yet cultivating a psychologically secure environment is not a straightforward task. It involves a delicate balancing act of managing power dynamics, dispelling fears of repercussions, promoting awareness, and surmounting any obstacles that hinder effective communication. In this landscape, empathy and proficient communication skills are not just 'soft' skills; they are indispensable tools that help cultivate a culture of psychological safety. In the world of Empathic Healthcare, Professor Jeremy Howick, the Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, emphasises the pivotal role of empathy. Empathy, in its essence, is the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others. By facilitating the construction of relationships and bridging gaps in understanding, empathy paves the way for enhanced patient satisfaction, improved health outcomes, and fortified relationships between patients and healthcare professionals.

 

Empathy and transparent communication also come with their own hurdles. These include the potential for miscommunication, leading to confusion, and the danger of caregiver/healthcare professional burnout in the absence of adequate self-care measures. Tackling these challenges demands a coordinated effort, ongoing education, and solid support from healthcare educators and leaders. By embodying psychological safety, imparting communication skills, promoting empathy, and treating mistakes as learning opportunities, we can cultivate a safe, respectful, and productive healthcare environment.

 

The concepts of psychological safety and empathy are not just trending phrases. They form the bedrock of delivering high-quality care, especially for the older population, who often require nuanced understanding and personalised care. Our objective extends beyond simply prolonging life; we aim to significantly improve the quality of life for our patients. By dismantling the barriers that inhibit psychological safety and ensuring that every voice is heard and valued, we can make strides towards advancing healthcare for older people.

 

SAFE-CARE, an acronym standing for "Psychological Safety, Productive Failure, Empathy, and Communication in Healthcare", is a comprehensive international study group. This consortium incorporates six diverse countries, namely Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy, and the United States, and it spans seven different specialties. These include Geriatrics, Infectious Disease, Trauma, Cardiology, Economics, Communication, and Psychology, thus bringing a multifaceted approach to our research.

 

We extend an open invitation to all readers to share their personal experiences, observations, and insights about psychological safety and empathy in healthcare via an online survey. At the core of this survey, we aim to uncover the barriers and facilitators to psychological safety within healthcare environments. More specifically, we want to examine the influence of stakeholder roles, age, and gender on psychological safety, and how communication skills and empathy could either facilitate or hinder the process. Furthermore, we aim to understand the complexities and challenges healthcare educators encounter when trying to incorporate these elements into their curricula and practice.

 

The knowledge and insights you provide through your participation in the SELF-CARE survey will play a significant role in recognising the hurdles and facilitators towards achieving psychological safety within our healthcare systems. This vital understanding will then guide the creation and design of targeted interventions, ultimately enhancing psychological safety, leading to more effective and empathetic patient care.

 

The primary objective of our endeavor is to nurture an efficient and effective healthcare sector by diving deep into the understanding of psychological safety and actively enhancing this aspect among all healthcare stakeholders. As valued members of this initiative, your contributions in the form of participation in our research study are invaluable and profoundly appreciated. Please complete the survey here (closes 28 June 2023).

 

In conclusion, every conversation can serve as a stepping stone towards enhanced patient care, every empathetic interaction can pave the way for a deeper understanding between healthcare providers and patients, and every acknowledged mistake can be a valuable lesson leading to improvements. The path to better healthcare is a collective journey, and your participation in our research study will help in shaping a future where psychological safety and empathy are the cornerstones of our healthcare systems.