Medical training and continuing education for health-care professionals should be infused with more training in psychology and social science to improve patient outcomes, according to research in the May issue of Heart.
The report draws on decades of research documenting the influence of social connections on longevity, with a recent meta-analysis confirming the association between loneliness and coronary heart disease and stroke.
"So much attention has been placed on important issues of diet and exercise, but both of those predict mortality less than do social connections," says Timothy Smith, PhD, a counseling psychology professor at Brigham Young University and co-author of the study. "Conversations about psychological and social considerations need to become every bit as widespread as coverage of hypertension, obesity and similar conditions that we hear about constantly in the popular media and in news reports."
The report supports the growing recognition that integrated care improves patient care. Last year, for example, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the administrators of the Medical College Admission Test, debuted the "Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior" section of the test. The new section draws from psychology, sociology and biology and was part of a series of changes that made the exam about two hours longer.
"Health, illness and disability all have psychological aspects, and for that reason, it is critical that physicians learn biopsychosocial medicine — that is, biotechnical, psychological, psychophysiological and social determinants of health," says APA President Susan H. McDaniel, PhD. "The more other health professionals know about psychology, the better their care of patients, and the more likely they are to want to work with psychologists."
— Amy Novotney