Empathetic doctors are better at relieving back pain than indifferent or aloof practitioners, according to research by US-based scientists. A team from Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Texas found patients ended up with “significantly better and clinically relevant outcomes pertaining to pain, function, and health-related quality of life” after seeing “very empathic” physicians, compared to others who saw “slightly empathetic” doctors. The study, which looked at almost 1,500 people being treated for chronic low back pain and was published by the American Medical Association…