Mean Empathy Score Research Articles

Empathy Among Internal Medicine Residents in a Community-Based Training Program: A Pilot Study.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background: Empathy in patient care is a highly valuable skill that is promoted in medical education; however, research conducted in academic centers strongly suggests a declining trend in empathy as years of medical education increase. Objective: To assess residents' empathy levels in a community-based internal medicine training program. We hypothesized that empathy in our program did not decrease with years of training. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study of 22 resident physicians who completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy between May and October of 2013. The residents were at the end of their first (PGY1), second (PGY2), or third (PGY3) year of training, or were incoming interns (PGY0) at the beginning of their first year. Results: Of 48 eligible residents, responses of 22 (45%) are included in the analysis. The empathy scores for participants ranged from 96 to 136 with a mean of 117.4 and a SD of 10.1. Incoming residents, PGY1, 2 and 3 residents' mean scores were 109.7, 117.2, 114.3 and 124.0 respectively. There was no statistical difference between males and females or between PGY1 and PGY2 residents. A statistically significant difference in mean empathy scores was found between incoming residents and PGY3, with PGY3 residents scoring higher in empathy. Conclusion: The empathy scores in our internal medicine residency program identified higher levels of empathy associated with residents at the end of training. This may be related to our targeted curricula which includes behavioral science and geriatric medicine curriculums.

Empathic Communication and Essential Instruction for Medical Students

Patient-physician communication is an essential part of clinical practice that if it works well, it creates a therapeutic effect for patients. We aimed to evaluate and investigate if gender, age, grade, marriage and specialized field affected empathy scores among trainees, interns and resident physicians. A cross-sectional survey was performed among a total of 215 medical students in practical stage and resident physicians in Iran/Arak University of Medical Sciences responded to the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) questionnaire over 6 months in 2016. In addition, the participants were anonymously monitored to assess actual empathy levels. 215 participants completed the JSPE questionnaire (mean age 27 ± 5.2 years, 94 43.7%] males). Analysis showed that students had lower mean empathy score (mean= 98.08) than other countries. Results confirmed that there is an association between empathy and gender and marriage (p<0.05).Females and married students showed higher levels of empathy than other participants. The empathy of participants in an observation condition was much lower than what they had stated. In our survey, medical students had significantly low empathy level; therefore cultural education and professionalism training is needed. Although treatment is more important than empathy, empathy has a therapeutic effect for patients.

Study on Empathy among Undergraduate Students of the Medical Profession in Nepal

Background: The incumbent of medical professional is expected to be socially responsible and emotionally empathetic along with good communication propensity to fasten the doctor-patient relationship. Whilst doctor’s proficiency to recognize a patient’s perspectives, and convey such an understanding back to the patient; in our case, the empathy and compassion level of promising medical professional is unknown in Nepal. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the compassion and empathy score of final year’s undergraduate students of four medical colleges in Nepal. Methods: Self-reported empathy measures were obtained using the Jefferson Scale of Physician-Student version. Results: The degree of empathy for the participants was 97.28 (SD = 14.44) with a median score of 96.00 and a range of 44 (min) to 133 (max). There was a significant difference on scores of the Jefferson scale of physician empathy between NMC Nepalgunj and BPKIHS (p = 0.00) and between NMC Nepalgunj and Manipal Pokhara (p = 0.00), as well as between UCMS and Manipal Pokhara (p = 0.044). These results were significant at the 95% confidence interval. Conclusions: The mean empathy score for the Nepali students is lower than medical students from developed countries but almost similar to medical students from other Asian medical students. The female Nepali medical students scored slightly higher than their male counterparts. Thus colleges have to develop academic programs to improve empathy and compassion among medical students through providing adequate time to consult with patient and faculties.

Using Role-plays as an Empathy Education Tool for Ophthalmology Postgraduate.

Purpose:To assess the role of an “empathy sensitizing module” (ESM) in ophthalmology postgraduates in promoting effective empathetic communication.Methodology:Thirty-nine ophthalmology postgraduates were taught effective empathetic communication using specially designed module, comprising of five illustrative role-plays. We evaluated the impact of the training by (a) self-assessment of empathy quotient by residents using Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE scale) before and 6 weeks after ESM training and (b) nonparticipant observation (NPO) by trained faculty in real-life settings over the next 4 months. A peer-validated, self-designed checklist was used for NPO. The change in score was analyzed using Student's paired t-test. The faculty observed the use of empathy in real-life patient encounters of the trainees over the next 6 months. In addition, secondary qualitative data were collected and analyzed to assess the impact of the module on other stakeholders such as the role-playing undergraduate students and core faculty.Results:Pretraining assessment revealed that concept of empathy during patient communication was understood by only 10% students. PostESM training, the self-rated mean empathy score, on JSE, significantly increased from 95.9 to 106.7 (of a maximum of 140). This was also confirmed by a significant improvement in externally rated empathy and soft skills scores (from 29.3 to 39.1; of a maximum of 55) using the NPO tool. Focus group discussion was done on the continued display of empathy by the trainees in real-life situation over 6 months of observation by the faculty. The group agreed that there was a gradual attrition of initial gain in empathy behavior over the observation period of 6 months. The spillover benefits of the training process were observed among the role-playing undergraduates as well. A thematic analysis of their reflections on the process revealed a substantial change with an improved understanding of effective communication.Conclusions:There is a definite scope for introducing empathetic communication in medical training. Empathetic communication can be improved by effective training in a contextual manner with a need for regular reinforcement. Sensitization at all levels including the faculty is required to implement effective communication skills in medical profession.

The relationship between subjective well-being and empathy among Turkish medical students

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: Empathy as a part of humanistic medicine is an important component of medical education and could be taught throughout the years of medical study. In Turkey the national core medical curriculum is somewhat insufficient in terms of teaching empathy. In this study we wanted to measure empathy and to determine if there is a relationship between subjective well-being and empathy. Material &amp; Methods: We used the Jefferson Scale of Empathy to measure empathy, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire to measure the subjective well-being. Participants were first, third and sixth year (final-year) medical students. The total number of participants was 600 which represented 71.1% of the students of the corresponding medical school. Results: The mean empathy scores of Turkish students were found to be lower than of their counterparts in the Western countries. Female students had significantly higher scores than male students and there was a decline in empathy with increasing class-years. We found a significant positive relationship between happiness and empathy. Conclusions: Teaching empathy through the development of a new medical curriculum with a more humanistic approach should be a concern of medical schools in Turkey.

Empathic Attitudes in Medical Students: using of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy

Empathic Attitudes in Medical Students: using of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy

The effect of an elective psychiatry course on pharmacy student empathy

IntroductionWhile a number of published studies have evaluated the impact of pedagogical methods on pharmacy student stigma and attitudes toward patients with mental illness, the current study is the first to compare a psychiatry elective course to traditional lecture on pharmacy student empathy toward patients with mental illness. Materials and methodsAll third-year pharmacy students at one pharmacy school enrolled in the Pathophysiology/Therapeutics III course and prior to enrollment in an Advanced Psychiatry elective course, were invited to complete a survey containing the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS). Demographic variables including age, gender, family history of mental illness, and previous experience in mental health hospitals were also collected. The same survey instrument (JSE-HPS with demography) was administered after traditional lecture/prior to psychiatry elective and at the conclusion of the Advanced Psychiatry elective. ResultsThe survey was completed by 60% (N = 41) of students prior to traditional lecture, 45% (N = 31) after traditional lecture and 88% (N = 14) after the psychiatry elective. Mean empathy scores increased from 109.32 pre-lecture to 112.86 post-lecture (p = 0.162 vs. pre-lecture) and 120.00 post-elective (p = 0.001 vs. pre-lecture). ConclusionThe teaching methods employed in the psychiatry elective course, including media, contact-based education and an auditory hallucination simulator, lead to an increase in pharmacy student empathy toward patients with mental illness. Pharmacy educators should continue to explore novel ways to increase pharmacy student empathy toward patients with mental illness.

Using Virtual Patients to Teach Empathy: A Randomized Controlled Study to Enhance Medical Students' Empathic Communication.

Physician empathy is a complex phenomenon known to improve illness outcomes; however, few tools are available for deliberate practice of empathy. We used a virtual patient (VP) to teach empathic communication to first-year medical students. We then evaluated students' verbal empathy in a standardized patient (SP) interaction. Seventy medical students, randomly assigned to 3 separate study groups, interacted with (1) a control VP portraying depression, (2) a VP with a backstory simulating patient shadowing, or (3) a VP able to give immediate feedback about empathic communication (empathy-feedback VP). Subsequently, the students interviewed an SP portraying a scenario that included opportunities to express empathy. All SP interviews were recorded and transcribed. The study outcomes were (1) the students' verbal response to the empathic opportunities presented by the SP, as coded by reliable assessors using the Empathic Communication Coding System, and (2) the students' responses as coded by the SPs, using a communication checklist. There were no significant differences in student demographics between groups. The students who interacted with the empathy-feedback VP showed higher empathy in the SP interview than did the students in the backstory VP and the control VP groups [mean (SD) empathy scores coded on a 0-6 scale were 2.91 (0.16) vs. 2.20 (0.22) and 2.27 (0.21), respectively). The difference in scores was significant only for the empathy-feedback VP versus the backstory VP group (P = 0.027). The SPs rated the empathy-feedback and the backstory VP groups significantly higher than the control VP group on offering empathic statements (P < 0.0001), appearing warm and caring (P = 0.015), and forming rapport (P = 0.004). Feedback on empathy in a VP interaction increased students' empathy in encounters with SPs, as rated by trained assessors, whereas a simulation of patient shadowing did not. Both VP interventions increased students' empathy as rated by SPs, compared with the control VP group.

Measuring Empathy Levels among Kurdish Medical Students in Erbil City, Iraq: Cross-sectional study.

Empathy is a crucial attribute within the physician-patient relationship. This study aimed to evaluate the empathy levels of students in the College of Medicine at Hawler Medical University (HMU) in Erbil city, Iraq. This cross-sectional study took place between January and May 2015 and included all medical undergraduates enrolled at HMU (n = 989). The validated self-administered English language version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-SV) was used to measure empathy levels. Students reported their conformity to each statement of the 20-item questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale. Levels of empathy were considered directly relative to their final score. A total of 927 students completed the questionnaire (response rate: 93.7%). The male-to-female ratio was 0.72:1 and the mean age was 21.3 ± 1.4 years. The mean empathy score was 101.9 ± 19.2. Female students had significantly higher empathy (P = 0.023) and more frequently chose people-oriented specialties (P = 0.001) than males. First-year students reported the highest mean score (112.9 ± 20.1) while fourth-year students had the lowest (92.7 ± 16.0). There was a significant decline in mean scores between first- and second-year male students (P = 0.020) and first- and fourth-year male students (P = 0.050). Students who chose people-oriented specialties had significantly higher scores than those who chose technology-oriented specialties (P = 0.002). The studied cohort of HMU students demonstrated low empathy levels. As such, the inclusion of empathy instruction in medical school curricula is recommended to promote professionalism and patient welfare.

Strong correlations between empathy, emotional intelligence, and personality traits among podiatric medical students: A cross-sectional study.

The ability of health-care providers to demonstrate empathy toward their patients results in a number of positive outcomes improving the quality of care. In addition, a provider's level of emotional intelligence (EI) can further the doctor-patient relationship, stimulating a more personalized and comprehensive manner of treating patients. Furthermore, personality traits of a clinician may positively or negatively influence that relationship, as well as clinical outcomes. This study was designed to evaluate empathy levels in podiatric medical students in a 4-year doctoral program. Moreover, this study aimed to determine whether EI, personality traits, and demographic variables exhibit correlations with the observed empathy patterns. This cross-sectional study collected data using an anonymous web-based survey completed by 150 students registered at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. There were four survey sections: (1) demographics, (2) empathy (measured by the Jefferson Scale of Physicians' Empathy), (3) EI (measured by the Assessing Emotions Scale), and (4) personality traits (measured by the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory-3). Empathy levels were significantly correlated with EI scores (r = 0.62, n = 150, P< 0.0001). All the five domains of personality were also shown to correlate with empathy scores, as well as with EI scores. With respect to demographics, Asian-American students had lower mean empathy scores than students of other races (P = 0.0018), females had higher mean empathy scores compared to men (P = 0.001), and undergraduate grade point average correlated with empathy scores in a nonmonotonic fashion (P = 0.0269). When measuring the variables, it was evident that there was a strong correlation between empathy, EI, and personality in podiatric medical students. Given the suggested importance and effect of such qualities on patient care, these findings may serve as guidance for possible amendments and warranted curriculum initiatives in medical education.

Is the Empathy Level of Medical Students at KAU Changeable along their Study Years? What is behind this Change?

Although empathy is considered one of the essential attributes of professionalism for medical students, the empathy level of the Saudi medical students was not assessed till now while it was assessed worldwide. This study aimed to determine the level of empathy among medical students in different study years at Faculty of Medicine (FOM), King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, and to explore in depth the factors that affect it. This comparative cross sectional study used a translated Arabic version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-student version (JSPE-SV). It was distributed to all medical students in different study years at KAU during the academic year 2014-2015 and the response rate was 58.3 %. Data were collected and analyzed using the statistical package of Social sciences (SPSS) version 22. The mean empathy score was 106.55±19.16 and it was higher, but nonsignificant, in females than males. It increases along with the study year and its level among the 6th year students was significantly higher (p=0.004) than that of the 2nd year. Intact marital status of parents (p=0.012), satisfactory relationship with mother and father (p=0.009, p=0.012), having a patient in the family (p=0.002) were significantly associated with higher empathy level. Student’s empathy level was relatively low but it was increasing throughout the study years denoting the positive impact of the medical curriculum. More highlights on the patients physician relationship all through the medical curriculum is needed to emphasize and promote empathy of the student.

A study of empathy across students from 4 health disciplines among 1st years and Final years

Aim and Objectives: This cross-sectional study examines the self-reported empathy levels of undergraduate students especially among 1st years and final years in four different health sciences disciplines.Background: Empathy is a central component in effective healthcare provider-patient relationships, yet evidence exists that healthcare professions students lack empathy. The highest mean empathy scores on entry to university were noted . A questionnaire with 20 questions are issued to the students and finally the mean empathy scores are noted among medical, nursing, physiotherapy and dental students achieving statistical significance. Reason: This study aims at expanding the current understanding of empathy and what may influence empathy levels in students planning to enter healthcare.

Exploring the missing link - Empathy among dental students: An institutional cross-sectional survey.

Empathy plays an important role in healthy dentist and patient relationship. Hence, the aim of the study is to (a) to measure the self-reported empathy levels among dental undergraduate and postgraduate students. (b) To review the trend of changes in empathy level with experience, age, and gender among dental undergraduate and postgraduate students. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out in two private dental institutions situated in Sri Ganganagar, India, with a sample size of 978. Data were obtained from the 1st to final year (BDS), interns, and postgraduate students from January to March 2015. An empathy level of students was assessed by the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy - Health Profession Students Version Questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis using Kaiser's criteria was undertaken to appraise the construct validity and dimensionality. Based on the results of the factor analysis, three factors were selected; labeled as perspective taking, compassionate care, and standing in patient's shoes. The majority of the students was female in a equivalent ratio of 1338:618. There were significant differences in empathy scores by gender and age (P < 0.01). The lowest and highest mean empathy scores were found in postgraduate (mean = 108.77, standard deviation [SD] =9.12) and 1st year (mean = 117.23, SD = 14.19) dental students, respectively. Dental educators should consider the likely decline in empathy among students as early as possible and adopt communication teaching strategies to promote the development of empathy and reduce the risk of further decline.

Empathy in Korean medical students: Findings from a nationwide survey

Background: Previous studies on empathy in Korean medical students were conducted on small populations or with different scales of measurement, resulting in low representativeness and generalisability of the findings.Aim: To evaluate empathy in Korean medical students throughout the country and to make suggestions to improve empathy.Methods: The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) (Korean) was used, and the impact of sex, age, the medical school admission system, and grade of the respondents was investigated.Results: We analyzed 5343 questionnaires and found a mean empathy score of 105.9 ± 12.8. Females and post-baccalaureate students had higher scores as compared with their counterparts. There was a significant difference between the admission systems after controlling for gender. Students from higher grade levels had lower scores than those from the lower grade levels.Conclusions: The JSE score of Korean medical students was lower than that of students in Western countries. The difference of gender and medical school admission system should be considered, and capability to apply empathy to clinical practice should be focused upon in medical training.

Levels of empathy in undergraduate emergency health, nursing, and midwifery students: a longitudinal study.

PurposeThis research examines the extent and nature of empathy among emergency health (paramedic), nursing, and midwifery students at one Australian university and investigates the longitudinal changes in empathy levels across the course of study.MethodsFirst-, second-, and third-year students at Monash University completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy–Health Professional (JSE-HP) in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and the resulting mean empathy scores were analyzed by course, year of course, year of study, age, and sex.ResultsMidwifery students were found to have higher empathy levels than nursing and emergency health students. Second- and third-year students scored higher than their counterparts in the first year. Empathy levels dipped in 2009 and rose in 2010. Students aged 26–30 years and 31–35 years recorded higher scores than their younger colleagues, and female students were found to be more empathic than their male counterparts.ConclusionThe finding that empathy levels are relatively stable over the term of study contributes to the understanding of how empathy evolves over the course of study and offers insights into the importance of incorporating and promoting empathy in health care curricula.

Measurement properties and confirmatory factor analysis of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy in Italian medical students.

Medical educators agree that empathy is essential for physicians’ professionalism and most studies on the patient-physician relationship demonstrate that this attitude has a key role in improving clinical outcomes. Literature findings show conflicting views in defining and measuring empathy. Nevertheless, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) is a psychometric tool now widely used. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine psychometrics and confirm factor structure of the Italian version of the JSE in Italian medical students (JSE S-Version). During 2012, 257 second-year Italian medical students completed the JSE S-Version. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor structure. The Italian JSE S-Version showed an acceptable internal consistency (r = 0.76) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.72). Confirmatory factor analysis found that the factor structure proposed by the developers of the tool provides an acceptable data fit. In this sample, female medical students showed a higher mean empathy score than did males. The present study provides evidence confirming the structural validity and reliability for the Italian JSE S-Version. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore cross-cultural differences and their implications.

Empathy levels among first year Malaysian medical students: an observational study.

BackgroundThe literature indicates that medical practitioners experience declining empathy levels in clinical practice. This highlights the need to educate medical students about empathy as an attribute early in the academic curriculum. The objective of this study was to evaluate year one students’ self-reported empathy levels following a 2-hour empathy workshop at a large medical school in Malaysia.MethodsChanges in empathy scores were examined using a paired repeated-measures t-test in this prospective before and after study.ResultsAnalyzing the matched data, there was a statistically significant difference and moderate effect size between mean empathy scores before and 5 weeks after the workshop (112.08±10.67 versus 117.93±13.13, P<0.0001, d=0.48) using the Jefferson Scale Physician Empathy (Student Version).ConclusionThe results of this observational study indicate improved mean self-reported empathy scores following an empathy workshop.

Empathy in undergraduate medical students of bangladesh: psychometric analysis and differences by gender, academic year, and specialty preferences.

Empathy is considered to be associated with better patient compliance, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. The aim of the study is to measure and examine empathy among a sample of undergraduate medical students of Bangladesh. It was a cross-sectional study and all the medical students of first through fifth year enrolled at Chattagram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital Medical College during the study period of 2014 were surveyed. Participants anonymously completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Medical Student version translated into Bengali language, a valid and reliable 20-item self-administered questionnaire. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were calculated to check validity and reliability of the scale. ANOVA was used to examine the differences in empathy between gender, academic years, and specialty preferences. The mean empathy score was 110.41 ± 13.59. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.88. There were significant associations between gender and empathy scores. The level of empathy in medical students gradually increases after clinical training in medical college. A nonsignificant difference was found between empathy scores and specialty preferences. It is suggested that the medical curriculum in Bangladesh should include more extensive program to promote empathy and other humanistic values among the medical students.

Cross sectional assessment of empathy among undergraduates from a medical college

BackgroundEmpathy is essentially a desirable quality among clinicians and can be developed during medical education. Studies from outside India have shown that higher empathy is related to better competency and choice of specialty may be related to empathy levels in them. Change in empathy levels among undergraduate medical students with progressive training has been often ascribed to reasons such as curriculum content, timing of clinical rotations. Gender differences in empathy levels also vary among different countries. Since many of such factors differ in India there is a need therefore to understand empathy and its correlates among medical students in India. MethodA cross sectional study was undertaken in a large medical college among the undergraduates of first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth semesters to measure their empathy levels. The evaluation was done using the Jefferson's Scale for Physician's Empathy- Student version. ResultsThe study revealed highest empathy at entry level and a significant fall by seventh semester (p = 0.002). Female students had significantly higher empathy levels than male students (p = 0.012) across all semesters. The variance in empathy scores according specialty chosen is not statistically significant (p = 0.2468). ConclusionThe progressive decline in empathy levels with years in medical college here is seen much later than in western studies. Female students are more empathetic than male students. The relation of mean empathy scores and choice of specialty is inconclusive and at variance from other studies.

Standing in patients′ shoes — survey on empathy among dental students in India

Background: Empathy is fundamental to the health care provider-patient relationship. The present study was conducted with the aim to assess the level of Empathy among Indian Dental Students and the objectives of the study are to assess any difference in the level of empathy across gender and year of study. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional descriptive study, employing convenience sampling method was conducted to assess the level of empathy using a validated, self-administered questionnaire Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Health Care Provider Student version (JSE-HPS) in this study. Independent samples t-test and one way ANOVA was used for comparison of empathy scores across gender and year of study. Results: A total of 406 dental students and Interns participated in the present study; the mean empathy score among the dental students was 82.76 ± 8.59. Mean empathy score of male students (83.99 ± 8.711) is greater than female students (82.37 ± 8.54) and there is a significant difference in empathy score among years of study (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Mean empathy score among Indian Dental Students is lesser than those reported in other studies. Empathy should be given importance in dental curriculum to improve dentist-patient relationship, thereby improving the treatment outcomes.