Use of narrative medicine to identify key factors for effective doctor-patient relationships in severe asthma

In this project, the authors use a narrative medicine (NM) approach to assess the promotion of trust in the relationship between doctors and their asthma patients. Doctors who were able to listen to their patients with empathy (35%) were more likely to make shared decisions with patients, even with those with whom they initially had a poor relationship. The words of welcome, interest and acceptance used fostered patient trust, which, according to doctors' self-reports, lead to restoration in 45% cases. NM methods are useful in daily clinical practice, aiming to improve the quality of life of patients with severe asthma, even in cases where the doctor-patient relationship is not initially good.