AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP: THE BALINT GROUP METHOD

Abstract

Balint groups were put forward by Michael Balint, who studied the physician-patient relationship with its deep dimensions in the 1950s. The Balint group method consists of case presentations and general discussions that emphasize the emotional content of physician-patient relationships following the case presentation. One of the aims of establishing Balint groups is to help health professionals and medical students develop empathy skills to reduce communication difficulties between people. Today, worldwide widely used in a manner Approaches of Balint Group, was not given sufficient importance in Turkey. Today, although many scientific studies have been published about Balint groups, there is not any work published in Turkey. The purpose of this study is to discuss the results of some studies about the Balint Group Method and to explain the definition, content, and application of this method in family medicine. It is known that the Balint Group Method contributes greatly to the increase of physicians' empathy levels and to decrease their burnout levels. Nowadays, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have quite tiring and difficult days and their burnout levels are increasing considerably. According to the results of the study, the application of the Balint Group Method by physicians in Covid-19 and the following period will contribute to better physician-patient relations as well as reduce the burnout levels of physicians. In Turkey, the introduction of the Balint Group Method, implementation, and inclusion in educational curricula are recommended. Also, it is recommended that physicians who have experienced the Balint Group Method contribute to the increase of the physician-patient relationship by making these experiences into scientific publications, sharing the results with the literature. As a result of the literature review, the implementation of this method in the virtual environment during the pandemic period and its spread throughout the world will make the application of this method even easier.