“Empathy between doctor and patient helps successful therapies”

2023-11-27 10:15:59

“The relationship between doctor and patient is something that has to do with the empathy of the clinician and therefore with the training that has been given to doctors. We need to make sure that our doctors are much more hepatic than they are now “An empathetic relationship between doctor and patient, in a context of chronic therapy as in the case of HIV, represents one of the keys to success”. This was stated by Andrea Gori, member of the department of infectious diseases at the Luigi Sacco hospital in Milan, professor professor of infectious diseases at the University of Milan and president of the Lombard section of the National Association for the fight against AIDS (Anlaids Onlus), on the sidelines of the press conference launching the ‘HIV. Shall we talk about it?’ campaign, promoted by Gilead Sciences with the patronage of 16 patient associations and the Italian conference on Aids and antiviral research (Icar).

“If you ask a person with a chronic pathology, be it cancer or HIV – observes Gori – what is the main problem in managing the disease and in the relationship with it, he will answer that a lot depends on the possibility of having a reference doctor always present, who you trust and who you can call when you need. The relationship between doctor and patient is in fact a relationship of extreme trust. Doctors must realize that this relationship is the key to success and is also crucial for therapeutic adherence. We must convince the people we treat that they must absolutely adhere to the therapy”. On treatments “we are moving from an antiretroviral therapy to be taken daily orally – explains the professor – to the new long-acting injective therapies, the administration of which can be done” every 2-6 months. “This is a success of technologies and research, which is growing and must continue to grow.”

For too many years “people living with HIV have had to manage an enormous problem of stigma – reflects Gori – To combat stigma, the relationship between doctor and patient is once again fundamental, especially in light of the results obtained with therapy. I am talking about U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) or the fact that if the viremia is not detectable, the virus is not transmissible and the person is therefore not contagious. This is a huge success and the doctor must underline this to the patient because for the latter it means having intercourse without fear of infecting, having a relationship as a couple without the risk of infecting and also fulfilling a previously unthinkable desire for parenthood. I think that the doctor – he concludes – from this point of view, has a crucial role in breaking down the stigma and ensuring that people living with HIV have a better quality of life”.