The effect of Humanitude care methodology on improving empathy: a six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan

Yusuke Fukuyasu,Mohammadreza Hojat,Toshihide Iwase,Jennifer Desantis,Mayu Watanabe,Joseph S Gonnella,Jun Wada,Hitomi U Kataoka,Hiroko Ogawa,Masaru Sato,Chikako Fujii,Miwako Honda

doi:10.1186/s12909-021-02773-x

Yusuke Fukuyasu, Mohammadreza Hojat + Show 10 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02773-x

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Abstract

BackgroundEmpathy, which involves understanding another person’s experiences and concerns, is an important component for developing physicians’ overall competence. This longitudinal study was designed to test the hypothesis that medical students’ empathy can be enhanced and sustained by Humanitude Care Methodology, which focuses on perception, emotion and speech.MethodsThis six-year longitudinal observational study examined 115 students who entered Okayama University Medical School in 2013. The study participants were exposed to two empathy-enhancing programs: (1) a communication skills training program (involving medical interviews) and (2) a Humanitude training program aimed at enhancing their empathy. They completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) seven times: when they entered medical school, before participation in the first program (medical interview), immediately after the first program, before the second program (Humanitude exercise), immediately after the second program, and in the 5th and 6th year (last year) of medical school. A total of 79 students (69% of the cohort) completed all seven test administrations of the JSE.ResultsThe mean JSE scores improved significantly after participation in the medical interview program (p < 0.01) and the Humanitude training program (p = 0.001). However, neither program showed a sustained effect.ConclusionsThe Humanitude training program as well as medical interview training program, had significant short-term positive effects for improving empathy among medical students. Additional reinforcements may be necessary for a long-term sustained effect.

Highlights

Empathy, which involves understanding another person’s experiences and concerns, is an important component for developing physicians’ overall competence
Humanitude training and empathy Our previous study [7] showed that a targeted educational program in communication skills training significantly improved empathy; we found that this empathy enhancement effect was not sustained
We found that the produced empathy enhancement was more statistically significant immediately after the Humanitude program rather than after the Medical Interview program

Summary

Introduction

Empathy, which involves understanding another person’s experiences and concerns, is an important component for developing physicians’ overall competence. This longitudinal study was designed to test the hypothesis that medical students’ empathy can be enhanced and sustained by Humanitude Care Methodology, which focuses on perception, emotion and speech. When displeasure cues (e.g. words, bodily tension) accompany eye contact, they imply a strong negative attitude. Eye contact essentially implies communicator arousal and, depending on its association with pleasant and unpleasant verbal or non-verbal cues, serves to intensify the communication of positive versus negative attitudes [9]. In Humanitude, distance, angle of sight and duration of eye contact are key features of gazing for establishing positive relationships between caregivers and care receivers

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