Empathy: Vital in patient care but are we looking at it close enough?

Abstract

Abstract Empathy is imperative in patient care. Besides enhancing patients’ satisfaction, comfort, and trust, which may facilitate better diagnosis, shared decision-making, and therapy adherence, empathetic doctors experience less burnout, greater job satisfaction, and better overall psychological well-being. In this article, we focus on empathy needed in modern medicine. The meaning of empathy is briefly explained, along with the concept of detached concern. The need for empathy in patient care is undebatable, but physician burnout, emotional drainage, and overburden are reasons physicians tend to drift away from it. Empathy is the need to communicate with the patient in productive ways. Educators should organize the teaching relevantly and engage the active participation of the students. Skilled physicians and empathic communicators are the need of the hour.