HealthTap, a health technology company serving millions worldwide with its Health Operating System (HOPES™) powered by a network of 108,000 doctors and Artificial Intelligence, released a report that revealed that compassion is more important than cost to patients (and doctors) when ranking doctors.

In a climate where cost and access are often cited as key priorities among healthcare consumers and providers, this report indicates that despite rising healthcare costs and long wait times, both patients and doctors rank compassion as the most important element in healthcare today.

Actualy, where cost and accessibility are key priorities among consumers and health providers, their report indicates that despite rising health care costs and long waiting times, both patients and physicians believe that Compassion is the fundamental tool for the current health system.

85% of patients said that compassion was very important to them, while only 31% of respondents quoted spending as very important to them in making a health decision. In comparison, the waiting time, which is often referred to as a key point for patients, was only rated at 48% in terms of being a very important factor in health satisfaction.

Doctors also seem to have this clear: 89% said that compassion is essential to offer excellent care, even more important than medical knowledge (86%). In fact, 94% of respondents indicated that being compassionate makes their patients more likely to follow their advice, thus improving health outcomes.

“The greater the role that technology and artificial intelligence play in healthcare, the greater the responsibility that we and other leading technologists have to build machines that value compassion just as much as doctors and patients do”, said HealthTap Founder and CEO Ron Gutman.

And compassion can be cultivated and trained. From Proyecto HU-CI  we bet for introducing this #humantool in the health care system. Because doing different things, we will get different results from the current ones. And, to show something, this viral video shared by Ruth Molina yesterday in networks: