There is a growing literature about physicians sharing personal information with their patients, something known as “physician self-disclosure” or “physician personal disclosure” In one study, investigators examining audio recordings of patient visits found that when general internists self-disclose patients report lower satisfaction, but when surgeons self-disclose patients report higher satisfaction.

An accompanying editorial suggested that some forms of self-disclosure may be useful while others may violate patient-provider boundaries. Another paper in which investigators observed physicians interacting with standardized patients concluded that there was no evidence of a positive effect of physician self-disclosure, that it could be disruptive, and that physicians should consider avoiding it. Physicians Danielle Ofri and Juliet Mavromatis explored their experiences with personal disclosures to patients in their recent blog posts.

I considered the pros and cons of disclosing details of my illness to my patient….

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