The power of a call

Andrés Fontalba

In recent months, we have changed the way we behave as a society. And although many of the changes continue, some of them have already been consolidated and are here to stay. One of these changes has been the use of telephone calls for remote follow-up of patients who cannot attend the consultation. With a phone call, you can share specific information, such as the result of a diagnostic test, or attend to a specific request from a patient, but one of the most powerful effects that these calls have produced is that, if they are made in an empathetic way, they can relieve loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

The telephone consultation cannot substitute the direct attention of a person in need, although its use in certain circumstances and with adequate training is a powerful and effective communication tool that, for the moment, bypasses the possible digital divide that may exist in some sectors of the population that cannot access other types of remote support such as videoconferencing or email. However, for this intervention to be effective, the same premise as in the consultation must be fulfilled: empathy. It can be summarized that an empathetic call prioritizes listening and provokes the conversation with the interlocutor on topics of their choice.

The loneliness that plagues our time is a very important mortality risk factor that complicates the course and prognosis of any disease. It's closely linked to anxiety and depression, and mainly affects elderly people who are, in turn, more vulnerable due to the multiple pathologies they present. If we add socioeconomic challenges to this, this risk is even greater. Given the high incidence and seriousness of the consequences, it's surprising that, so far, few interventions are effective. An extensive systematic review showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective, but requires highly specialized professionals. Another five-week videoconference follow-up program also showed promising results. And, focusing on phone calls, a recent study from Texas shows that empathic calls, tailored to participants' preferences, over four weeks relieve loneliness, depression, and anxiety. These calls were aimed at not exceeding 10 minutes in length and were made by volunteers who were trained by videoconference for an hour on how to ask about topics of interest to the participant, without providing specific conversation patterns or cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. The participants, in turn, expressed a high degree of satisfaction with these calls.

Sometimes there have been long debates about whether one means of communication is better or worse than another (virtual vs face-to-face, telephone conversation vs videoconference, use or not of social networks) as if it were a horse race and had to exist. a winner, when interest and efforts should be focused on what is the most effective communication style with each person. Clear, open, and adequate communication leads to the trust of the patient and also that of her family. Effective communication in health, which must be based on empathy, is essential to improve the safety and quality of health care.