Neurology Residents' Empathy Can Be Enhanced with an Educational Intervention: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (S17.002)

Abstract

Objective: We sought to determine whether it is possible to increase neurology residents9 empathy. Background Several recent studies suggested that residency training correlates with a decline in empathy scores. Design/Methods: Ethics approval was granted by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board of the University of Calgary. Thirty-five adult and pediatric neurology residents were asked to complete the Jefferson Scale for Physician Empathy (JSPE) prior to participating in one of two OSCE stations laden with empathic 9cues9. They were randomized to start either with a seizure case, or a clinically isolated syndrome case. Next, residents were randomized to participate in a 90-minute empathy workshop or a 90-minute control (time management) workshop. The following day, residents sat the remaining OSCE and completed another JSPE. OSCEs were video recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed, by blinded raters, using empathic response rates and a published empathy global rating scale (GRS). Results: Thirty-five residents participated in the workshops. Sixteen residents participated in the time management workshop, 17 in the empathy workshop. Thirty-five residents participated in the pre-OSCE and 33 in the post-OSCE. Residents had higher empathy scores on the JSPE following the empathy intervention (123+/- 2.48 vs 115.7 +/-3.28 SEM p=0.019). Empathic response rates increased significantly following the intervention workshop (76.5% vs 62.5%, p=0.004). GRS scored independently of the empathic response rates showed poor inter-rater correlations (0.34), and did not show significant differences between groups. When assessed in tandem with the empathic response rates, the GRS showed significant improvements following the empathy workshop (16.9 vs 13.4, p=0.003). Conclusions: An educational intervention targeted at enhancing residents9 empathy was successful based on several different validated measures of empathy. Further study will endeavor to show whether inter-rater correlations are stronger when the GRS is used with video rather than transcripts. Supported by: The American Academy of Neurology Educational Research Grant. Disclosure: Dr. Cooke has nothing to disclose. Dr. Davenport has received personal compensation for activities with EMD Serono and Teva Neuroscience as a consultant. Dr. Smyth has nothing to disclose. Dr. Atkins has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sarna has nothing to disclose.