Empathy In Health Care Research Articles

Empathy in healthcare: Harmonizing curing and caring in healthcare.

Empathy in healthcare: Harmonizing curing and caring in healthcare.

Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality in teaching empathy to medical students: a mixed methods study

Empathy in healthcare has been associated with positive outcomes such as increased patient satisfaction and reduced medical errors. However, research has indicated a decline in empathy among medical professionals. This study examined the effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) for empathy training in medical education. A convergent mixed methods pretest posttest design was utilized. Participants were 1st-year medical students who engaged in an empathy training IVR educational intervention around a scenario depicting older adults struggling with social isolation. Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to measure the change in empathy levels. Data were analyzed using a paired sample t-test on the pre-/post-test JSE empathy scores to assess the change in empathy scores. Nineteen qualitative semi structured interviews were conducted immediately after the IVR experience and follow-up interviews were conducted six months later. Qualitative data collected from the interviews’ transcripts were analyzed using a thematic and content analysis approach to capture individual experiences. Students (n = 19) scored 5.94 points higher on the posttest JSE questionnaire compared to pretest (p < 0.01) indicating an improvement in empathy levels. Qualitative analysis showed that the IVR training was well received by the students as a valuable empathy-teaching tool. Immersion, presence, and embodiment were identified as the main features of IVR technology that enhanced empathy and understanding of patients’ experiences. The debriefing sessions were identified as a key element of the training. IVR-based training could be an effective teaching tool for empathy training in medical education and one that is well received by learners. Results from the study offer preliminary evidence that using IVR to evoke empathy is achievable.

Empathy in healthcare: Are women and married people more empathetic?

Empathy in healthcare: Are women and married people more empathetic?

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.

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.

Decline of Empathy among Healthcare Apprentices

Empathy is a crucial human quality that enables healthcare professionals to connect with patients, providing physical and emotional support to enhance patient-centered care. Empathy in healthcare is critical for establishing patient-provider (healthcare) trust, increasing patient satisfaction, and, eventually, delivering high-quality healthcare. However, there is growing concern about the declining levels of empathy among healthcare providers, partly related to increased workload, burnout, and empathic distress fatigue. Moreover, the recent emphasis of medical education on the technical aspects of healthcare over empathetic care also contributed to the decline of empathy among healthcare providers with compromised patient care. This brief article summarizes the potential causes and consequences of declining empathy in medical practice with future implications on the quality of humanized healthcare.

Communicating effectively with inclusion health populations: 2022 ICCH symposium

ObjectiveTo describe communication strategies for clinical practice that allow practitioners to work more effectively with marginalised population groups and to discuss how to incorporate these into medical practice. MethodsActive practitioners working in inclusion health and people with lived experience of homelessness and the asylum-seeking process shared their perspectives in the symposium at the 2022 International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH) and a subsequent conference on empathy in healthcare. The views of attendees were sought. Symposium DiscussionWe describe the perspectives shared at the symposia under two main themes: communication needs in people experiencing homelessness and migrant populations, and trauma-informed practice. ConclusionsPeople experiencing homelessness have more communication challenges compared to the general adult population. Migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking populations also face the complexity of negotiating unfamiliar healthcare, legal and social systems with the added burden of language barriers. Trauma-informed practice provides a useful framework that can improve communication with these groups.

Is digital innovation killing empathy in health care? The realities of patient care in a tech-driven world

Is digital innovation killing empathy in health care? The realities of patient care in a tech-driven world

Be kind. Use systems. Improve care.

Health Services ResearchVolume 58, Issue 2 p. 247-249 COMMENTARY Be kind. Use systems. Improve care Taressa K. Fraze PhD, Corresponding Author Taressa K. Fraze PhD [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-8346-6425 Family and Community Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Correspondence Taressa K. Fraze, Family and Community Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorSunita Mutha MD, Sunita Mutha MD orcid.org/0000-0001-6618-7240 Division of General Internal Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USASearch for more papers by this author Taressa K. Fraze PhD, Corresponding Author Taressa K. Fraze PhD [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-8346-6425 Family and Community Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Correspondence Taressa K. Fraze, Family and Community Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorSunita Mutha MD, Sunita Mutha MD orcid.org/0000-0001-6618-7240 Division of General Internal Medicine, Healthforce Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14135 Commentary on ‘A systematic review of research on empathy in health care’ by Nembhard et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14016. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume58, Issue2April 2023Pages 247-249 RelatedInformation

Turning diversity from a barrier to a facilitator of empathy in health care.

Turning diversity from a barrier to a facilitator of empathy in health care.

Teaching empathy in healthcare: an integrative review

Resumo Empatia pressupõe a capacidade e sobretudo a vontade de compreender o outro e se colocar em seu lugar. Considerando isso, espera-se que profissionais envolvidos em cuidados de saúde sejam mais empáticos e capazes de ler o mundo ao seu redor com olhar humanizado, crítico e reflexivo. Objetivou-se investigar, mediante revisão integrativa, o que tem sido discutido a respeito do ensino da empatia nos cursos de graduação da área da saúde nos últimos cinco anos. Foram selecionados 27 artigos das bases de dados MEDLINE e LILACS, por meio dos quais se identificou que a maioria dos estudos disponíveis foram realizados nas áreas de medicina e enfermagem. Além disso, constatou-se que, apesar de o tema empatia remeter à subjetividade, a metodologia quantitativa com aplicação de escalas padronizadas foi a mais utilizada para mensurar níveis de empatia e que, por fim, o ensino da empatia ocorreu por meio de metodologias ativas.

Teaching empathy in healthcare: an integrative review

Resumen La empatía es una capacidad, sobre todo una voluntad, de comprender al otro y de ponerse en su piel. Así se espera que los profesionales involucrados en el cuidado de la salud sean más empáticos y tengan una mirada humanizada, crítica y reflexiva sobre el mundo. Esta es una revisión integradora para identificar cómo se enseña la empatía en las carreras de graduación en el área de la salud en los últimos cinco años. Se seleccionaron 27 artículos de las bases de datos MEDLINE y LILACS, y se identificó que la mayoría de los estudios disponibles fueron de las áreas de Medicina y Enfermería. Se constató también que, aunque el tema de la empatía se refiera a la subjetividad, el método cuantitativo con la aplicación de escalas estandarizadas fue el más utilizado para medir los niveles de empatía y que la enseñanza de la empatía ocurrió por metodologías activas.

Empathy in Healthcare Professionals during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Empathy is important for successful interactions. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the cognitive component (Perspective taking) and affective components (Empathic concern and Personal distress) of empathy in health professionals were related to the degree of perceived threat of coronavirus, difficulties in doing work, difficulties in getting along with people, the health condition (current or past coronavirus disease), as well as with some socio-demographic characteristics. Fantasy as the cognitive component of empathy was not the focus of the present study as more irrelevant to clinical practice. A study of 296 health care workers through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and a survey on perceived coronavirus threat, difficulties in work and getting along with people found that perceiving coronavirus as a stronger threat reduced both the cognitive component of empathy Perspective taking and the affective component of empathy Personal distress. As the affective components of empathy Empathic concern and Personal distress increased, the reported work difficulties were reduced. As the cognitive component of empathy Perspective taking and the affective component of empathy Personal distress increased, the reported difficulties in having a good relationship with other people were reduced. Some socio-demographic differences in the components of empathy in health workers were also established. These findings revealed the importance of Personal Distress (experienced anxiety, worry, discomfort, and apprehension when observing another person's negative experiences), as well as the joint manifestation of several aspects of empathy for successful work and maintaining good relationships in health care. Emotionality is a normal part of human interactions, so manifestations of cognitive empathy should not be only considered as appropriate, and emotional empathy should not be ruled out as unnecessary in clinical practice during the coronavirus pandemic.

Investigating Empathy: The Unresolved Enigma - A Multicenter Study among Dental Students in South India

Introduction: Empathy in health care is associated with a reduction in patient’s anxiety, improved cooperation in child patients, increased treatment compliance, improved treatment outcomes, and reduced stress. A recent systematic review of research on empathy among dental students stated that there is not enough evidence to understand empathy among dental students. A gap still exists in the understanding of the link between Empathy and gender and year of study. This multi-centric, cross-sectional study assesses the gender-wise and year-wise differences in empathy among dental students in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and fourteen clinical students (3rd year, final year, interns and postgraduates) of three Dental Institutes participated in the study. Empathy was scored using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Healthcare Provider-Student version assessed on a five -point Likert scale. Student’s t-test and one-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. (P &lt; 0.05). Results: Mean Empathy Score among the dental students was 68.71 (SD 7.441); 32.4% were male 67.6% were female. Difference in mean empathy scores between males (67.64 ± 7.72) and Females (69.22 ± 7.26) was statistically significant (P = 0.043). Interns showed the highest empathy levels and post-graduates the lowest. However, the difference in empathy levels across the different years of study was not statistically significant. (Third year 68.75 ± 7.24, final year 68.07 ± 6.97, interns 69.82 ± 7.82 and postgraduates 67.87 ± 8.13; P = 0.206). Conclusion: Empathy level among the students was low. Females had higher empathy levels. Among the undergraduates, empathy levels did not decline with increase in year of study, a finding which is contradictory to existing evidence. Educational reforms in the existing curriculum are required to impart ethics and professionalism and improve the empathy levels of dental students.

Adding a dose of empathy to healthcare: What can healthcare systems do?

Healthcare practitioners often note system-level barriers to empathy between patients and practitioners. These include burnout-inducing administrative workloads, unfriendly meeting times, burdensome protocols, lack of wellbeing spaces, and undervaluing empathy as a core part of an institution's mission. The need for empathy in healthcare has been magnified with the current SARS-COV-2 outbreak which has limited the expression of interpersonal empathy due to rigid isolation protocols and the use of personal protective equipment. This study-the first of its kind that we are aware of-outlines the details of a facilitated workshop run with the leadership of a tertiary level pediatric center in Canada. The workshop used a modified nominal group technique to discuss and prioritize actions to enhance empathy into the hospital system. Inter-professional and inter-disciplinary group of healthcare leader participants agreed on several immediately actionable steps, including embedding patient satisfaction with care measures as standard, and streamlining booking appointments. A roadmap was created to implement the other priorities. A systematic approach to infusing empathy into the structure of our healthcare system is much needed. Furthermore, inter-professional and inter-disciplinary educational workshops was well-received as a way to facilitate discussion and drive change.

Empathy and structural injustice in the assessment of patient noncompliance

Empathy is generally considered important because it is linked to prosocial helping behaviors. To the extent that humans are thought to be social creatures, empathy is regarded as an important component of our general well-being. Meanwhile, empathy skeptics argue that empathy is not as important as its proponents believe. While there is philosophical debate about the appropriate place for empathy in moral judgment, empathy is a taken-for-granted, good-making feature of moral deliberation in healthcare. In this paper I offer an account of empathy and a critique of its moral significance before thinking specifically about the role that empathy plays in medicine. Finally, I offer a hypothetical case to show that in order to fully appreciate the skeptical position, empathy's role in health justice should be understood in the context of structural injustice. Although I ultimately defend the importance of empathy in healthcare environments, I show that any conception of empathy in healthcare should take seriously reasons for skepticism about empathy, notably its susceptibility to bias against disfavored groups.

Improvement of Medical Students' Empathy Levels After an Intensive Experiential Training on Empathy Skills.

EMPATHY IN HEALTHCARE is an intensive 20-hour experiential training program based on mediation techniques and specialized healthcare role-play for clinicians and medical students. It is hypothesized that the training will improve empathy via the intensive experiential techniques implemented. A total of 50 medical students (25 males/25 females) took the course voluntarily. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical Students Version (JSE-S) (Greek version), before and after the 20-hour training, along with a 6-month follow-up. Gender, age, preferred medical specialty and baseline empathy score were explored as possible moderator variables of the training effect. Empathy increased after training, with a mean JSE-S score improvement of 11.25 points (±8.848) (P < .001). After 6 months, the mean JSE-S score maintained a difference of 6.514 points (±12.912) (P < .005). No differences were recorded with regard to gender, age group or medical specialty for the pooled data. Women in the 22-24 year-old age group had a 5-point mean difference (P = .05), and higher post-training scores than men. Lower initial scorers were the ones that mostly improved, with a 3-fold mean score difference from the higher scorers regardless of gender (P < .001), while also showing a smaller drop in empathy levels 6 months after the training compared to the higher scorers. Intensive experiential training can improve empathy in a clinical setting. EMPATHY IN HEALTHCARE is a successful training program in improving empathy in medical students, as measured by the JSE-S. A score of 110 and below could be used for selecting medical student candidates who will benefit most from empathy training.

A Critical Analysis of Neurological Theories on Empathy in Healthcare

Some employ neurological theories of empathy to train medical students and to explain why care work is emotionally exhausting. I argue, however, that these theories develop conceptual and methodological confusion that creates a reductive and misdirected focus in patient-centered care. Neurological theories on empathy do not help us understand patient-centered care, nor do they help us understand why care work can be exhausting. By discussing examples of care work, I argue that empathic attentiveness to patients is a dialogical ethical response to the whole person and takes place in daily care settings of working, helping, and responding to each other.

In principle obstacles for empathic AI: why we can't replace human empathy in healthcare.

What are the limits of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the relational aspects of medical and nursing care? There has been a lot of recent work and applications showing the promise and efficiency of AI in clinical medicine, both at the research and treatment levels. Many of the obstacles discussed in the literature are technical in character, regarding how to improve and optimize current practices in clinical medicine and also how to develop better data bases for optimal parameter adjustments and predictive algorithms. This paper argues that there are also in principle obstacles to the application of AI in clinical medicine and care where empathy is important, and that these problems cannot be solved with any of the technical and theoretical approaches that shape the current application of AI in specific areas of clinical medicine in which care for patients is fundamental. This is important, because it generates specific risks that may be overlooked otherwise, and it justifies the necessity of human monitoring and emotional intervention in clinical medicine. Consequently, difficult issues concerning moral and legal responsibility may ensue if these in principle problems are ignored.

Walk in/walk as my shoes: Puppetry and prosocial empathy in healthcare

This article explores the connections between puppetry performance practice and the activation of empathy, considering the synergies between puppetry and medical practice where empathy is a key factor in healing. I draw on a consideration of the place of puppetry within ritual transitional and healing practices to develop an examination of contemporary modes of performance, which require deep listening, response and attention. I examine the connections between neuroscience and puppetry, which suggest that attitude-taking engenders empathy, and compare this to my puppetry training practice to suggest that training for and engaging in puppetry practice can encourage and stimulate empathy. This has significance for practitioners of puppetry working in healthcare contexts and for medical practitioners who undertake some form of puppetry, either within their training or as continuing professional development. Although the different forms of empathy are connected in practice, the article focuses especially on affective (emotional), cognitive and social empathy.