People loyal to their doctor live longer than those who change practitioner with the seasons …
Would staying true to your doctor allow you to live longer? Put like that, the question seems a bit caricatured. Yet this is what researchers at the University of Exeter, England, sought to know in an article published recently. in BMJ Open. And the answer seems to be yes.
The researchers reviewed the publications of the last 20 years, to keep the 22 studies, European or North American for the most part, which looked at the link between mortality and continuity of care. The concept of continuity of care is to be understood here in a very precise sense: it is the fact of regularly consulting the same doctor, rather than changing practitioner as the wind blows. In short, stay true to your doctor (and vice versa).
Unfaithful to death
Despite the diversity of the studies retained, it turned out that the vast majority (82%) reported a significant reduction in the mortality of patients who had a rather exclusive relationship with their doctor. Moreover, while most of the studies focused on general practitioners, some also concerned specialists, such as psychiatrists or surgeons.
One of the studies selected, published in 2013 by French researchers, shows, for example, that patients with mental disorders have a much better chance of survival at three years when they remain faithful to the same psychiatrist than when they tend to change. (In psychiatry, the risk to life is often suicidal.)
Of course, such results can be explained in many ways. There are a thousand reasons why a patient with a stable relationship with his doctor could live longer, starting with a more stable life, and therefore a higher socio-economic level. But it is also very plausible that a stable relationship with a good doctor – or considered such – simply contributes to better health.
Follow me, I’ll follow you
Studies suggest that a patient in a long-term relationship with his doctor tends to better follow the treatments offered to him, including prevention: keeping his vaccines up to date, not smoking, monitoring his diet. In addition, patients give up more when they are in confidence, and are therefore more able to benefit from appropriate medical care.
In an article published on the Forbes website (in English), the American doctor and columnist Bruce Y. Lee compares the doctor to a spouse. “Honey, before we buy our house, could you remind me of your name and your history?” Who can imagine such a situation? It is however frequent in the United States, where the networks of private care have taken the ascendancy over medicine.
In short, love your doctor as if your life depended on it. This is undoubtedly the case.
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