a jewel from the past

I just heard last week that Morris Chefetz has died. Now this takes us back, but way beyond anything I can remember. The late 1950’s.
Imagine someone doing this piece of research 60 years ago? It has one of the roots of MI running very strongly through its veins. According to Dr Ed Bernstein, who has done more than anyone to promote respectful conversations in accident and emergency settings, Chafetz’s work was one of his inspirations, in addition to motivational interviewing. Ed is an old friend, and this is what he sent me last week. I found it inspiring, and it shows us how much progress we still need to make in realizing good practice. If this happened in the late 1950s, how come so many patients aren’t treated with the respect they deserve in so many setting?
Here’s Ed’s account:
He (Chafetz) conducted a study at Massachusetts General Hospital in which 200 "alcoholic patients" were assigned either to the experimental or control condition by the chief medical officer. The experimental team was composed of a psychiatric social worker and a psychiatry resident who approached patients with positive regard and respect, offered help, and invited the patient to follow up with them in the MGH alcohol treatment outpatient clinic to get services. 65% of the experimental group attended their first appointment to the clinic while only 5% of the controls did. 42% of the experimental group completed 5 appointments compared to 1% of control group. This study demonstrated the importance of how we communicate with our patients and how positive communication styles are more likely to lead to better outcomes.
Best wishes
Steve Rollnick