Abstract
BackgroundEmpathy is paramount in the doctor-patient relationship being a comprehensive and multidimensional concept. Self-ratings of empathy change across the years of medical education only when the Jefferson Scale of Physicians Empathy is used, with a worrying decrease being found throughout the years in Medicine Schools. As there are only few studies on the factors influencing medical student’s empathy, particularly of the curricular model, this study aimed to compare the levels of empathy of medicine students of two Schools with different curricular models in central Portugal, the Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra (FMUC) and the Faculty of Health Sciences - University of Beira Interior (FCS-UBI).MethodsCross-sectional observational study with the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy – students’ Portuguese version (JSPE – spv) to 1st, 3rd and 6th year students of the 2017/2018 academic year with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis (p < 0.05).ResultsSize representative sample of 795 students. Higher total empathy score (TES) (p = 0.008) and “Perspective taking” (p = 0.001) in FCS-UBI were found. JSPE-TES was higher in FCS-UBI, 3rd year (p = 0.038). Higher FCS-UBI “Perspective taking” in the 1st year (p = 0.030) and 6th year (p = 0.044), for “Compassionate care” in the 3rd (p = 0.019) and for “Standing in the patient’s shoes” in the 1st year (p = 0.018) and in FMUC for “Compassionate care” in the 1st year (p = 0.037) and the “Standing in the patient’s shoes” in year 3 (p = 0.002) were found. Higher levels of empathy were found in FCS-UBI female students, for JSPE-TES (p = 0.045) and “Perspective taking” (p = 0.001).ConclusionHigher empathy levels in FCS-UBI were found, with different results in the third year suggesting influence of the medical course teaching characteristics between the two Medicine schools, student’s empathy levels being higher when earlier and more intense contact with patients accompanied by skilled tutors was developed.
Highlights
students’ Portuguese version (Empathy) is paramount in the doctor-patient relationship being a comprehensive and multidimensional concept
Using the chi-square test and the Mann-Whitney U test, no significant differences were found between universities for gender (p = 0.096) and year of Integrated Master’s degree in Medicine (MIM) (p = 0.408)
These results are in line with the only study we found comparing the levels of empathy in two universities with different curricular models in a Pakistan study [26]
Summary
Empathy is paramount in the doctor-patient relationship being a comprehensive and multidimensional concept. Self-ratings of empathy change across the years of medical education only when the Jefferson Scale of Physicians Empathy is used, with a worrying decrease being found throughout the years in Medicine Schools. It is important to promote effective educational interventions that can improve and maintain the levels of empathy in students, physicians to be as well in practicing doctors, contributing to the strengthening of the doctor-patient relationship and to a better healthcare system [6, 8, 9]. Despite the consensus on the importance of empathy in medical education and practice [6], a worrying decrease in the empathy of medical students throughout their years in Medicine Schools is reported [6, 10,11,12,13,14]. A recent meta-analysis indicates significant evidence of self-ratings of empathy changing across the years of medical education only when the JSPE is used [9]
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