The Role of Community-based Health Practice on the Improvement of Healthcare Students’ Communication, Empathy and Perception of the Elderly: A Qualitative Study at Izmir University of Economics

Abstract

Interpersonal communication involving empathy is of great importance in therapeutic relationships in healthcare. To equip medical/healthcare students with interpersonal communication skills, community-based health education provides real-life contexts in which they engage with the community as part of the curriculum. A community-based health practice (CBHP) was implemented at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) to improve students’ communication, empathy and perception towards the elderly. Within an interdisciplinary collaboration among the medicine, nursing, elderly-care and physiotherapy programs, a total of 111 students participated in the project. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the CBHP on students’ communication, empathy and perception of the elderly. Taking a qualitative approach, focus group interviews were organized with students (n=22). Descriptive analysis of the qualitative data revealed that students witnessed the loneliness of elderly individuals, their physical and psychosocial needs, which resulted in a high degree of empathy. Furthermore, the study also aimed to gain insights from elderly participants via in-depth interviews (n=9). Results demonstrated that the participants felt valued and useful during the communication processes with the students. In conclusion, CBHP contributed to students’ perceptions and empathy towards the elderly; meanwhile the elderly individuals were satisfied with the interest of the medical, nursing and healthcare students.