Clinical Empathy Research Articles

Emotion recognition and clinical empathy: An observational study of nurses

AimTo explore nurse ability to recognize emotion and its association with clinical empathy. BackgroundEmpathy is elemental to nursing care and positively effects patient and nurse outcomes, yet self-reported clinical empathy has declined over the past decade. One hypothesized contributor to the ability of a nurse to be empathic is whether they can recognize emotion, a phenomenon thus far unstudied among nurses. MethodsThis cross-sectional study used online survey methods to collect data from 166 licensed nurses employed in one of 22 hospitals in Florida, USA. The Geneva Emotion Recognition Test-Short Form (GERT-SF) measured behavioral empathy—the ability to identify 7 positive and 7 negative basic emotions from non-language-based audiovisual clips with actors expressing these emotions. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professionals measured self-reported clinical empathy in patient care. Demographic and work-related factors were assessed with investigator-designed items. Descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses were employed. ResultsAlthough nurses self-reported very high clinical empathy, their ability to recognize emotions using the GERT-S tool was fair. Emotion recognition and clinical empathy were weakly correlated (r = 0.175, p = 0.024, 95 % CI = 0.02–0.32). The least recognized emotion for the participants to identify was anxiety. No demographic variables were associated with either emotion recognition or clinical empathy. ConclusionsThese findings expose how nurse perceptions of being empathic may poorly align with the ability to recognize a patient's emotional response. Thus, findings have implications for teaching empathy, as well as for how researchers validly and reliably measure these constructs.

Mediating and Suppressing Effects of Coping Styles Between Resilience and Empathy for Pain in Clinical Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to investigate the current state of empathy for pain among clinical nurses, analyze the relationship between resilience and empathy for pain, and explore the mediating effects of coping styles. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted among 1601 clinical nurses in Guangdong Province, China. The convenience sampling method was used to collect data from Sociodemographic information, the 14-Item Resilience Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Empathy for Pain Scale from June to September 2023. To analyze the relationship between resilience, coping styles, and empathy for pain among clinical nurses with descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation analysis, and mediation analysis. The empathy for pain score among Chinese clinical nurses was 2.92 ± 0.79, with the empathy reactions dimension at 3.56 ± 0.74, and the body and mind discomfort reactions dimension at 2.70 ± 0.89. Clinical nurses' resilience was positively related to the coping styles and the empathy reactions dimension, whereas negatively associated with the body and mind discomfort reactions dimension. Coping styles were negatively related to the empathy for pain and the body and mind discomfort reactions dimension, whereas positive with the empathy reactions dimension. Coping styles partially mediated between resilience and empathy reactions dimension (β=0.127, 95% CI: 0.070~0.183), accounting for 56.19% of the total effect. There were suppressing effects of coping styles between resilience and empathy for pain (β=-0.157, 95% CI: -0.189~-0.126), the body and mind discomfort reactions dimension (β=-0.172, 95% CI: -0.203~-0.142). The effects of resilience on clinical nurses' empathy for pain were partially mediated and suppressed by coping styles. During clinical pain management, nursing administrators should focus on developing clinical nurses' resilience and positive coping strategies to improve nurses' physical and mental health, optimize pain management, and foster a heightened sense of empathy for pain.

Empathic communication skills training to reduce lung cancer stigma: Study protocol of a cluster randomized control trial

BackgroundPrior research demonstrates that nearly all (95 %) people with lung cancer (PwLC) report stigma, and approximately half (48 %) PwLC experience stigma during clinical encounters with oncology care providers (OCPs). When stigma is experienced in a medical context, it can have undesirable consequences including patients' delaying and underreporting of symptoms, misreporting of smoking behavior, and avoiding help-seeking such as psychosocial support and cessation counseling. Multi-level interventions are needed to prevent and mitigate lung cancer stigma. One promising intervention for reducing patient perception and experience of stigma is to train OCPs in responding empathically to patient emotions and promoting empathic communication within clinical encounters. MethodsThis paper describes the study protocol for a cluster randomized trial comparing Usual Care (waitlist control group) with Empathic Communication Skills (ECS) training (intervention group). For this study, we will recruit 16 community oncology practice sites, 9–11 OCPs per site, and 6 PwLCs per OCP. ResultsThe goal of this trial is to investigate the effect of the ECS training on (a) OCP primary outcomes (communication and empathic skill uptake) and secondary outcomes (ECS training appraisal – relevance, novelty, clarity; self-efficacy, attitude towards communication with patients); and (b) patient-reported primary outcomes (lung cancer stigma), and secondary outcomes (perceived clinician empathy, satisfaction with OCP communication, psychological distress, social isolation, and appraisal of care). ConclusionFindings from this trial will advance understanding of the effectiveness of the ECS training intervention and inform future provider-level training interventions that may reduce lung cancer stigma and improve cancer care delivery.ClinicalTrials.govIdentifier: NCT05456841

Medical Professionalism and Its Association with Dropout Intention in Peruvian Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges to medical education systems and medical students worldwide, making it necessary to adapt teaching to a remote methodology during the academic year 2020-2021. The aim of this study was to characterize the association between medical professionalism and dropout intention during the pandemic in Peruvian medical schools. A cross-sectional online-survey-based study was performed in four Peruvian medical schools (two public) during the academic year 2020-2021. Medical students, attending classes from home, answered three scales measuring clinical empathy, teamwork, and lifelong learning abilities (three elements of medical professionalism) and four scales measuring loneliness, anxiety, depression, and subjective wellbeing. In addition, 15 demographic, epidemiological, and academic variables (including dropout intention) were collected. Variables were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. The study sample was composed of 1107 students (390 male). Eight variables were included in an explanatory model (Nagelkerke-R2 = 0.35). Anxiety, depression, intention to work in the private sector, and teamwork abilities showed positive associations with dropout intention while learning abilities, subjective wellbeing, studying in a public medical school, and acquiring a better perception of medicine during the pandemic showed a negative association with dropout intention. No association was observed for empathy. Each element measured showed a different role, providing new clues on the influence that medical professionalism had on dropout intention during the pandemic. This information can be useful for medical educators to have a better understanding of the influence that professionalism plays in dropout intention.

Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Empathy among Medical Students: The Conditional Effects of Spirituality and Gender

Clinical empathy (CE) is a crucial component that influences how well patients respond to treatment. This necessitated the examination of the factors that promote CE among undergraduate medical students. Therefore, this study investigated the individual and combined conditional effects of spirituality (SS) and gender on the emotional intelligence (EI) – CE relationship. Participants were 202 undergraduate medical students who have had direct contact with patients. The sample comprises 86 males and 116 females with an average age of 22.52 years. Instruments with proven psychometric qualities were used to collect data on each variable. A regression-based analysis complemented by model 2 of Hayes’ PROCESS macro via the IBM-SPSS v25 was utilised for testing the hypotheses and developed model. The direct effect results indicated that EI and SS positively and significantly predicted CE. The moderating effect of SS on the EI-CE relationship was significant while that of gender was not. The combined moderating effects of SS and gender on the EI-CE link were significant and stronger for females with higher levels of SS. These findings led to the conclusion that EI, SS and gender are valuable mechanisms to consider when making policies to improve CE.

A thematic content analysis of the structure and effects of good doctor abilities in China

BackgroundThe efforts to explore and build the structure of good doctor abilities are important because they help improve the quality of education for medical students and better standardize the working performance of doctors. However, at present, no worldwide standards for such a structure have been established. In this study, we endeavoured to map the structure of good doctor abilities and identify their effects.MethodsWith a focus on China, a thematic content analysis was adopted in this study to analyse the personal profiles of 50 widely recognized good doctors. NVivo11 software was used.ResultsThe Structure and Effects of Good Doctor Abilities in China model was proposed, and interpretations were made based on AMO theory. Good doctor abilities fall within six categories: rigorous clinical thinking, skilled in diagnosis and therapy, clinical empathy, continuous learning and innovation, enhancing and sharing experiences, and communication and coordination. These abilities have positive impacts on doctors’ work performances and social benefits by encouraging good behaviours, ultimately promoting the sustainable development of the hospitals where they serve.ConclusionsIn this study, we established a model of the structure and effects of good-doctor abilities in China and interpreted its mechanism, innovation and theory diversification in “good-doctor” research. Moreover, this study has practical significance because it provides systematic and well-targeted criteria for improving the professionalism of doctors, promoting more good doctor behaviours, providing guidance for regulating doctors’ conduct and providing a reference for medical education and working performance reviews worldwide.

ArticleDecline in empathy among healthcareworkers; where have all the flowers gone?

Studies from around the world are reporting a decline in the empathy of healthcare workers (HCWs) in recent years. This review article explores the implications of this decline of empathy on patient care and provider well-being, and possible ways to promote empathy among HCWs. Empathy plays a crucial role in fostering therapeutic alliances and enhancing patient outcomes. However, practising clinical empathy poses significant challenges, including emotional exhaustion and burnout, time constraints, professional boundaries, and cultural differences. These challenges contribute to a substantial decline in empathy among HCWs, which is further exacerbated by high-stress environments, heavy workload, and drawbacks in the healthcare system. Junior doctors and medical students are particularly vulnerable to a decline in empathy due to the demands posed by medical education and demanding training periods. Structured programmes promoting self-care practices, fostering supportive work environments, and integrating empathy-focused training into education and practice can be used to teach clinical empathy. However, a conducive atmosphere and a culture of empathy in the clinical setting are also crucial. Furthermore, sustained effort and institutional support are essential to sustain the skills thus taught. Such endeavours would contribute to cultivating compassionate healthcare professionals who prioritise patient-centred care and well-being.

Beyond Cognitive Empathy: Suggestions for Strengthening Medical Students’ Empathy

A physician’s empathy plays a crucial role in patient-centered care, and in modern medicine, patients, their caregivers, and society demand a high level of empathy from healthcare providers. The conceptualization of clinical empathy, which has emphasized cognitive empathy since the mid-20th century, has been widely accepted in medical schools and the healthcare industry without much critical reflection. This study provides an overview of the ongoing debates on empathy versus sympathy and cognitive empathy versus affective empathy to clarify the concept of empathy. Based on recent research findings, clinical empathy is proposed to encompass three components: cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and empathic motivation. It is suggested that fully demonstrating these components requires empathic communication skills. Additionally, the cognitive characteristics of medical students and the features of the academic environment demonstrate the need for education to strengthen their empathy skills. Considering this, proposed intervention methods that medical schools can consider include utilizing tutoring programs and debriefing processes for team activities, which can facilitate problem-solving as a coping strategy for stress. Learning communities can create an environment where students can receive social support and recover from stress. Medical schools can contribute to the development of students' professional identities as practicing clinicians who embody empathy and respect by cultivating professors as positive role models. Additionally, utilizing scales to assess the empathic nature of doctor-patient communication or incorporating patients and caregivers as evaluators can actively improve empathic communication skills.

Medicine in the 21st Century: How Not to Lose the Art of Healing?

In our time of advanced technologies, the Internet, and the enormous acceleration of all areas of humanitarian activity, medical scientists make outstanding discoveries and innovations that revolutionize diagnostic approaches and treatment options, improve patient care, and enrich the way to a healthier world. Is there still a place for the art of medicine in the era of innovations and artificial intelligence? Although modern technology in the field of medicine with computerization of every aspect (including electronic medical records, laboratory data entry, images, patients' monitoring systems, etc.), young physicians, while embracing that innovation, should be trained in the development of clinical thinking and the establishment of personalized connections to the patients. Young physicians should be taught to adopt the ability to see, hear, and feel a patient's problems, formulate optimal management, and be empathetic to the patient's emotions and suffering. Communication skills are a key to successful medical practice and a part of "the Introduction to Clinic" course in almost all medical schools, but a substantial lack of time in clinical settings creates new challenges for communication between medical students, clinical teachers, and patients in medical schools. In many areas around the world, including Ukraine, this problem has been aggravated by wars, epidemics, pandemics, and natural disasters. At the same time, developing clinical observational skills remains an integral part of medical education and the basis of medical art. The art of a careful physical exam should not be lost behind a computer screen. Dnipro State Medical University has traditions of integrating centuries-old world historical experiences of teaching the art of healing into the philosophical concept of forming the critical clinical thinking of medical students. Our medical school has incorporated "diagnosing the canvas" into its curriculum. A thematic gallery of diagnostic symptoms and signs from great artists of all times and peoples has been created, expanding the young physicians' educational horizons in clinical thinking, empathy, and mercy.

Clinical empathy in a medium and high-risk Brazilian unit.

Clinical empathy is an essential part of healthcare, and patient-centered care models require clinical empathy to be established. Despite this, little is known about its measurement in the neonatal scenario. To measure clinical empathy in health professionals who work with medium and high-risk neonates and build a construct of this empathy. Single-center survey study. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals questionnaire was applied to health professionals who work in an intensive care unit and a medium-risk unit, in Brazil. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and a factor analysis model, to build the construct of empathy. Overall empathy was calculated, and the domains' punctuations were analyzed and compared to the maximum punctuation possible. The study followed the STROBE checklist. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. All participants signed the informed consent form. Participants' confidentiality and anonymity were protected. Median empathy was 117 (IQR 113-124). The domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes had lower scores and represented 77.6% of the maximum punctuation possible. The factor analysis included three factors named Understanding, Experiences, and Treatment, and Emotional Relationships, explaining 64.3% of the overall variance. The domain Walking in the Patient's Shoes was not included in the model. In this scenario, clinical empathy should improve. There is a need to improve the domain of Walking in the Patient's Shoes, in this case, the neonate, and provide more empathic care to them.

The Impact of a Computer-Based Interactive Informed Consent for Surgery on Decision Conflict

Informed consent for surgery can address the legal aspects of care while also being simple, informative, and empathic. We developed interactive informed consents and compared them with standard printed informed consents asking: (1) are there any factors associated with lower decision conflict or greater patient-rated clinician empathy including consent format? (2) Are there any factors associated with rating the consent process as informative, comfortable, and satisfying including consent format? Ninety-four adult patients accepted an offer of surgery from one of three hand surgeons to address one of six common hand surgery diagnoses: carpal tunnel release, cubital tunnel release, trigger finger release, plate and screw fixation of a distal radius fracture, removal of a benign mass, including a ganglion cyst, and Dupuytren contracture release. Fifty-three patients were randomized to complete an interactive consent, and 41, a standard written consent. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and unhelpful thoughts were measured. Patients completed the Decision Conflict Scale and the Jefferson Scale of Patient's Perceptions of Physician Empathy and rated the consent as informative, comfortable, and satisfactory on a scale of 0-10. Greater decisional conflict was slightly associated with greater patient unhelpful thoughts about symptoms and was not associated with consent format. A higher rating of comfort with the consent process was slightly associated with patient choice to proceed with surgical treatment, but not with consent format. Accounting for potential confounding in multivariable analysis, a higher rating of the consent process as informative was slightly associated with patient preference for surgical over nonsurgical treatment, CONCLUSIONS: The observation that an interactive consent form was not related to decision conflict or other aspects of patient experience suggests that such tools may not have much weight relative to the interaction between patient and clinician. Efforts to improve informed consent may need to focus on the dialog between patient and surgeon rather than how information is presented.

Self-reported preparedness of final year undergraduate dental students and interns in Saudi Arabia: a multi-institutional study

BackgroundContemporary undergraduate dental education aims to equip the dental students with clinical competence, empathy, and professionalism to enable them to deliver safe and effective dental care to the communities. The purpose of this study was to assess the self-reported preparedness of final year dental students and interns at three Saudi dental institutions, using the pre-validated Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS).MethodsA cross-sectional study design was employed to assess the self-reported preparedness of the participants using the DU-PAS. Following ethics approval, a probability sampling technique was used to recruit undergraduate dental students and interns from three dental institutions in Saudi Arabia. The data was collected online on Google Forms and all participants provided their consent to participate in the study prior to providing their responses to DU-PAS.ResultsResponses were received from 397 participants including 171 males and 226 females yielding a response rate of 60.3%. The total mean score of the participants was 81.85 ± 13.11. Although higher scores were reported in males, the interaction between gender and DU-PAS scores were not significant. Interaction between DU-PAS scores and stage of education showed significant effect of the stage of education with interns reporting higher overall scores. The participants reported that they were able to perform most clinical procedures independently. However, low confidence was reported in performing multi-rooted endodontics, fabrication of removable dentures and orthodontic assessment. The participants also expressed their confidence in a wide range of behavioural attributes related to communication, teamworking and professionalism. However, lack of experience was noted in referral for oral cancer, interpreting research, and evaluation of new dental products using an evidence-based approach.ConclusionThe study provides useful insights into the self-reported preparedness of undergraduate dental students and interns in three dental institutions. While the overall preparedness of the participants was comparable to their international peers, the findings underscore the need for further enhancements to the teaching and training of undergraduate students particularly in multirooted endodontics, removable prosthodontics and orthodontics.

Digital clinical empathy in a live chat: multiple findings from a formative qualitative study and usability tests

BackgroundClinical empathy is considered a crucial element in patient-centered care. The advent of digital technology in healthcare has introduced new dynamics to empathy which needs to be explored in the context of the technology, particularly within the context of written live chats. Given the growing prevalence of written live chats, this study aimed to explore and evaluate techniques of digital clinical empathy within a familial cancer-focused live chat, focusing on how health professionals can (a) understand, (b) communicate, and (c) act upon users’ perspectives and emotional states.MethodsThe study utilized a qualitative approach in two research phases. It examined the expected and implemented techniques and effectiveness of digital clinical empathy in a live chat service, involving semi-structured interviews with health professionals (n = 9), focus group discussions with potential users (n = 42), and two rounds of usability tests between health professionals (n = 9) and users (n = 18). Data were examined using qualitative content analysis.ResultsExpected techniques of digital clinical empathy, as articulated by both users and health professionals, involve reciprocal engagement, timely responses, genuine authenticity, and a balance between professionalism and informality, all while going beyond immediate queries to facilitate informed decision-making. Usability tests confirm these complexities and introduce new challenges, such as balancing timely, authentic responses with effective, personalized information management and carefully framed referrals.ConclusionsThe study reveals that the digital realm adds layers of complexity to the practice of clinical empathy. It underscores the importance of ongoing adaptation and suggests that future developments could benefit from a hybrid model that integrates the strengths of both AI and human health professionals to meet evolving user needs and maintain high-quality, empathetic healthcare interactions.

Empathic Care of Neonates: A Critical Literature Review.

Clinical empathy is a multidimensional ability to feel the patient's suffering, branched into components such as cognitive, emotional, and action, which results in benefits for patients, parents, health professionals, medical students, and others. The authors performed a critical review of the literature about empathy in neonatal care, in 2 databases, and analyzed the co-occurrence of keywords in the last 10 years. Nine articles were included in the qualitative synthesis. They highlight the interconnection between empathy, communication, ethics, and palliative care. Empathy was analyzed in situations that included pain, death, and suffering in the neonate, especially related to critically ill neonates. Strategies such as self-reflection and digital storytelling may help increase the clinical empathy education of health professionals. There are gaps in research considering the measurement of clinical empathy in neonatal care, and this measurement should be encouraged. To change care practices, education on empathy for health professionals, especially physicians, should be improved.

Evidence-Based Practice Approach on Clinical Empathy Skills Among Health Professionals: A Systematic Review Protocol

Introduction: Effective educational programs promote and strengthen nursing students’ empathetic skills, contributing to health professionals’ pleasure and emotions of personal accomplishment by offering a sense of excellent personal well-being, quality therapeutic management, and clinical expertise. Objectives: This review will synthesize the available evidence on the effectiveness of clinical empathy in general practice and clinical empathy skill training among health professionals. Review questions were structured using the PICOT framework. Inclusion criteria: We will include articles that detail original empirical studies and systematic reviews related to empathy skills among health professionals and the effect of empathy training on clinical empathy skills. Methods: The databases include the National Library of Medicine, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and EBSCO. The key methods for facilitating the review will be print and electronic resources. Major medical subject heading (mesh) terms in titles and abstracts will be used in the search. To establish existing literature on the empathy training program, the search will contain the terms “empathy,” “clinical empathy,” and “empathy training” in all fields of the databases. The search strategy will commence from 2023 onward with no language restrictions. A team of independent reviewers will screen the retrieved titles, abstracts, and full-text reports and check the data quality using the John Hopkins EBP model and the literature will be systematically reviewed by following PRISMA Guidelines.

Learning from the implementation of clinical empathy training: an explorative qualitative study in search of the barriers and facilitators

Learning from the implementation of clinical empathy training: an explorative qualitative study in search of the barriers and facilitators

The empathy imperative in whole person care - for patients and physicians

Clinical empathy is associated with improved patient satisfaction, treatment compliance, and better health. At the same time, empirical evidence shows that strong empathic connections between physicians and patients increase job satisfaction and decrease malpractice complaints. Plus, doctors with higher levels of empathy also experience less stress, cynicism, and burnout. Empathy in healthcare should be the norm. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Physicians encounter emotionally taxing situations—illness, trauma, suffering, and dying—on a frequent or ongoing basis. Which might explain why they may miss or dismiss signs of patient distress. But there’s a growing body of evidence that points to overwork and a lack of self-care as a major problem. In fact, relative to the general population, doctors suffer from higher rates of compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, and suicide. The long hours, administrative workload, and financial imperatives of today’s medical practice means that many physicians struggle to prioritize self-care, including a lack of sleep, exercise, and healthy eating habits. All of this was further exacerbated by the pressure of the recent COVID pandemic. Yet physicians are not permitted to appear vulnerable or weak because doing so is inconsistent with the culture of medicine.This session will explore why empathy and self-empathy are both imperative to whole person care - for physicians and their patients. And will suggest several strategies and practices to combat empathy fatigue.

Mental health nurses' empathy towards consumers with dual diagnosis: A descriptive study.

This study aimed to assess mental health nurses' empathy towards consumers with dual diagnosis in Australian mental health settings. The research question was What is mental health nurses' empathy towards consumers with co-existing mental health and drug and alcohol problems? A cross-sectional survey was carried out to understand mental health nurses' empathy. The convenience sample included 96 mental health nurses from various mental health settings with experience working with consumers with dual diagnosis. We assessed empathy using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire. We utilised SPSS™ software to analyse both the descriptive data and multiple-regression. The mean empathy score was 47.71 (SD 8.28). The analysis of the association between demographic variables and individual subscales showed an association between the clinical setting and empathy (p = .031) and sympathetic physiological arousal (p = .049). The work sector was associated with sympathetic physiological arousal (p = .045) and conspecific altruism (p = .008). Emotional contagion (β = .98, p < .001), emotional comprehension (β = 1.02, p < .001), sympathetic physiological arousal (β = 1.01, p < .001) and conspecific altruism (β = 10.23, p < .001) predicted mental health nurses' empathy. This study found that most mental health nurses showed empathy towards consumers with dual diagnosis. Mental health nurses who are more empathetic towards their consumers experience emotional contagion. They understand emotions better, show sympathetic physiological responses and exhibit kind behaviour towards consumers. Further research is required to understand how mental health nurses adapt to consumers' emotional states in different mental health settings. This information can help clinicians make better decisions about care quality for consumers with dual diagnosis. This study addressed mental health nurses' empathy towards consumers with dual diagnosis. Mental health nurses showed increased empathy towards consumers with dual diagnosis. The empathy levels vary based on age, clinical setting, work sector and work experience. Mental health nurses' empathy levels were predicted by emotional contagion, emotion comprehension, sympathetic physiological arousal and conspecific altruism. Empathy enhancement among mental health nurses, particularly towards consumers with dual diagnosis, is crucial and should be regarded as a top priority by healthcare leaders and educators. Outlined by the Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS). No Patient or Public Contribution.

Correlation between Patient-Centered Care and Clinical Empathy

Patient-Centered Care (PCC) and clinical empathy intertwine and share some premises. Studies on the correlations between clinical empathy and PCC still need to be available. This article aims to propose ways of approaching PCC and clinical empathy and contribute to the reflection on the correlation between both using their confluence axes to promote thinking about their relationship. The confluence axes proposed in this article are innovative and emerged from the specialized literature on the approaches. The confluence axes between clinical empathy and PCC are as follows: Empathetic Communication; Patient’s Needs, Will, and Preferences; Relational Equanimity; Biopsychosocial Model and Therapeutic Alliance. In conclusion, this study underscores the urgent need for future research that scrutinizes the proposed thematic axes. This research is not just a call for further development in the field but a necessity as we strive to understand better and implement patient-centered care and clinical empathy in healthcare.

Patient Complaint Systems from the Perspective of Healthcare Bioethics

This article aims to analyze the complaint systems from the unique and crucial perspective of Healthcare Bioethics, a new theoretical branch of Clinical Bioethics developed in Latin America, in the Post-graduate Program in Bioethics of the University of Brasilia. Healthcare Bioethics, with its four main axes: Patients’ Rights, patient centrality, the partnership relationship between the actors in the clinical encounter, and clinical empathy, provides a comprehensive and ethical lens through which to view healthcare issues. Complaints in healthcare, considered complex narratives that reveal important information about the organization and exert important impacts on healthcare and the clinical relationship, are no exception. The methodological approach is theoretical and documental. The basis for the theoretical framework adopted by Healthcare Bioethics were the studies by Albuquerque and Albuquerque and Tanure, since they are precursors in Brazil to the research developed on the subject. The conclusions drawn are that organizations need to have complaint systems based on Healthcare Bioethics to contribute to the patients and their families feeling welcomed and recognizing patient centrality concerning the complaints presented. Finally, it is necessary to highlight the scarcity of studies that draw on this new paradigm of healthcare applied to the analysis of patient complaints.