Should you promote your athleticism to patients?

Are patients more likely to listen to your admonitions to lose weight or stop smoking if you tell them you exercise? Do their chronic health problems have a better chance to improve if they visit doctors who jog a few days a week or hit the gym regularly?

“Nobody knows,” said Dr. James Fries, a 20-mile-a-week runner and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. “There’s no data.” There are some hints, though, said Dr. Ronald Davis, who is the president of the American Medical Association and a specialist in preventive medicine at the Henry Ford Health System, which includes hospitals, clinics, a managed-care plan and a large physician group practice.

Doctor, is your race time adequate? [Via Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]

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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...

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