- Questioned the use of treatment 
- Unsure how to respond do the patient
- Difficulty in trusting the patient 
- Recognized several flaws/limitations in patient care
- Believed patient well-being was disregarded

Medical students' internal conflicts and worries  when exposed to surgical patients in pain 

Providing education to future doctors about handling a patient's emotions and desires and the interactions between a patient and provider can help improve the care patients are receiving and their relationships, in addition to learning how to cope with the emotionally demanding parts of patient care.

How can patient-provider relationships be improved?

In this study, third year medical students were asked to detail their experiences with surgical patients as they face patients in pain, suffering, and emotional events of being a physician. 

University of Illinois at Chicago

The present study suggests that physicians, specifically surgeons, seem to restrain feelings of empathy, which indicates that there is a vital issue among doctors associated with patient distress, professional pressure to be efficient, and one's own ability to process the emotional aspect of patient care.  

Patient-provider relationships in surgical patients and patients with pain 

Kopecky, K. E., Zens, T. J., Suwanabol, P. A., & Schwarze, M. L. (2018). Third-year medical students' reactions to surgical patients in pain: doubt, distress, and depersonalization. Journal of pain and symptom management, 56(5), 719-726.

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