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The obscured face in video consultations. A Levinasian analysis
Elisabeth Assing Hvidt1, Frida Greek Kofod2, Johannes van den Heuvel3
1Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark. ehvidt@health.sdu.dk.
Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy
|April 26, 2025
Summary
Video consultations can obscure patients' emotions and needs, challenging the doctor-patient relationship in general practice. New approaches are needed to improve communication and care dynamics in virtual settings.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Healthcare Communication
- Digital Health Ethics
Background:
- Video consultations are increasingly used in general practice.
- The impact on the doctor-patient relationship and communication nuances requires examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how video consultations affect patients' ability to express emotions, needs, and vulnerabilities.
- To assess general practitioners' (GPs) capacity to respond to these in a virtual setting.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of 43 semi-structured interviews with patients using video consultations.
- Application of Emmanuel Levinas' theory of the face for interpretation.
Main Results:
- Patients experience a 'digital obscuring' of their emotions and vulnerabilities via video.
- This hinders GP perception of patient needs and patients' self-awareness of suffering.
- Potential benefit for patients seeking emotional shielding.
Conclusions:
- Video consultations pose challenges to relational and ethical dimensions of general practice care.
- Integrating Buber's dialogical principles with Levinasian analysis may enhance virtual care dynamics.
