Being at Eye Level May Benefit Clinician-Patient Interaction

TUESDAY, July 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Eye-level communication by clinicians appears beneficial compared with standing at the bedside of inpatients, according to a review published online July 17 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Nathan Houchens, M.D., from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies evaluating clinician posture (eye level or standing) during adult inpatient (including emergency department) interactions at the bedside.

The researchers identified 14 relevant studies. Ten of these studies revealed at least one favorable outcome for clinicians who communicated at the patient”s eye level, three revealed no differences in patient perceptions between standing and sitting, and one found higher patient ratings for standing clinicians. Variation was seen in both interventions and outcomes, resulting in a generally high risk of bias, and relatively low adherence to assigned posture groups.

“A more robust randomized clinical trial, aimed at removing barriers to sitting and elucidating factors that drive patients” preferences, is necessary to fully understand the impact of posture on patient outcomes,” the authors write. “In the meantime, given its relative ease and potential for benefit, clinicians should consider positioning themselves at eye level when speaking with their hospitalized patients.”

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