Correlational Linkages Between Doctor Empathy and Doctor-Rated Patient Adherence: An Interaction Ritual Chains Perspective

Background: Relevant studies have demonstrated that patient adherence is one of the most important factors influencing treatment effectiveness. Failure to adhere to medical prescriptions can significantly hinder the achievement of desired therapeutic outcomes. Doctor empathy is presumed to correlate with patient adherence. However, the underlying pathways are not well understood. This study explores the associations linking doctor empathy to doctor-rated patient adherence using interaction ritual chains (IR chains), which provide a framework for investigating this process. Methods: From April 2023 to July 2023, a cross-sectional survey was administered to doctors from primary-level clinics in Zhejiang Province, China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypothesis. Results: A total of 459 valid data entries from doctors were included in the analysis. The analysis result indicated that hypothesis H1: doctor empathy is positively correlated with doctor-rated patient adherence was supported. The standardized regression coefficient was 0.17 (p = 0.009). Hypothesis H2: emotional energy is hypothesized to mediate the correlational linkage between doctor empathy and doctor-rated patient adherence (standardized regression coefficient = 0.02, p > 0.05). Hypotheses H3: doctor treatment behavior is hypothesized to mediate the correlational linkage between doctor empathy and doctor-rated patient adherence (standardized regression coefficient = 0.02, p > 0.05), and hypothesis H4: emotional energy and treatment behavior are hypothesized to mediate the correlational linkage between doctor empathy and doctor-rated patient adherence (standardized regression coefficient = 0.02, p > 0.05) were not supported. Conclusions: The IR chains theory can be used to primarily explore how doctor empathy relates to doctor-rated patient adherence in healthcare settings. Doctor empathy shows a positive correlation with doctor-rated patient adherence.