Love really IS all you need! Friends and family are more crucial to health than we think

December 30, 2016

Studies have shown good relationships improve patients’ recovery
But experts warn too many doctors do not incorporate it into their advice
A new model proposes ways for healthcare systems to utilize family and friends

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published:
18:18 EST, 29 December 2016

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Updated:
18:21 EST, 29 December 2016

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Good relationships are the best medicine to improve a patients’ health, a study has confirmed.

But experts warn too many doctors casually ignore the social factor as a non-medical concern.

Now, in an acclaimed new report, five doctors at the University of Pennsylvania have proposed a new method for incorporating friends and family into doctors’ advice.

‘Spouses and friends are more likely to be around patients when they are making decisions that affect their health – like taking a walk versus watching TV, or what to order at a restaurant,’ co-author Dr David Asch, of Penn Medicine, explains in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Good relationships are the best medicine to improve a patients’ health

‘Patients are also more likely to adopt healthy behaviors – like going to the gym – when they can go with a friend.’

‘Though people are more heavily influenced by those around them every day than they are by doctors and nurses they interact with only occasionally, these cost-free interactions remain largely untapped when engineering social incentives for health.

‘That’s a missed opportunity.’

He warns that, since doctors do not have the time or funds to offer personal support round-the-clock to each patient, friends and family are crucial to keep patients on track.

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‘Concerns about privacy are often the reason doctors and hospitals avoid organizing social support,’ Dr Asch says.

‘But while privacy is very important to some patients under some circumstances, more often patients would love if their friends and family helped them manage their diabetes, and those friends and family want to help people get their health under control.’

The authors define a ladder with escalating rungs of social support.

It ranges from no social engagement, to a system that offers economic incentives for patients to cultivate good relationships.

At the bottom of the ladder you have the current norm: when a patient is expected to take medication as part of a routine, without anyone seeing them do it or holding them accountable.

In the fourth rung, where social incentives are designed with reciprocal support, the authors point to a study in which some patients with diabetes were asked to talk on the phone weekly with peers.

The authors of a new report have defined a ladder with escalating rungs of social support that doctors could incorporate into their advice. It ranges from nothing to economic incentives

Through this technique – known as reciprocal mentorship – they saw a significant decline in glycated hemoglobin levels.

Others in the study, who received more typical nurse-led management, did not see the same declines.

‘Although we don’t normally think of competition or collaboration among patients are part of managing chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart failure, or diabetes, research shows that behavior is contagious,’ said co-author Roy Rosin.

‘Programs that take advantage of these naturally occurring relationships can be very effective.

‘Most health care interventions are designed for the individual patient.

‘But there’s a growing body of research that shows how health care organizations can use social engagement strategy to enhance health for patients who want to be involved in group activities or team competitions aimed at improving health.’

Dr Asch adds: ‘Sure, health care is serious business, but who says it can’t be social?’