Civic-Mindedness Sustains Empathy in a Cohort of Physical Therapy Students: A Pilot Cohort Study

Empathy levels in physiotherapy students: a four-year longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Empathy is a key value in health-related occupations such as physiotherapy.

PURPOSE

This longitudinal study aimed to determine the empathy levels of students in a four-year bachelor of physiotherapy program.

METHODS

A total of 120 physiotherapy students at a non-governmental university in Istanbul participated in the study between 2016 and 2019. The Turkish adaptation of the student version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy was used. Empathy scores were compared according to year of study and gender.

RESULTS

Most participants were women (n = 101, 84.2%). Empathy scores differed by years of study (p < .001) being highest in the first year and lowest in the fourth year. There was no difference in empathy scores between women and men (p = .26).

CONCLUSION

This is the first longitudinal study to contribute data on empathy levels in Turkish physiotherapy students. The decline in empathy seen in fourth-year physiotherapy students is associated more with the academic program and clinical practice than with any other factor. Further studies are warranted to explore why there are variations in empathy levels in physiotherapy students during their education. Ensuring students develop awareness and skills related to empathy during their undergraduate studies could result in a higher quality of care early in their professional practice.

High Civic-Mindedness Reduces Compassion Fatigue in the First 3 Years of Professional Physical Therapist Practice: A Pilot Study

Introduction

Clinicians with compassion fatigue (CF) experience behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes due to repeated exposure to second-hand trauma from the clients with whom they are working. A civic-minded professional possesses the core value of social responsibility. Physical therapy (PT) education programs must balance a focus on developing social responsibility and compassion against the risk of CF.

Objective

The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence of CF in a sample of physical therapists in the early years of practice and (2) to determine whether higher civic-mindedness leads to the development of CF in physical therapists.

Method

Three cohorts of recent graduates were administered the Professional Quality of Life (Pro-QOL) survey to measure CF. Thirty-five of 127 surveys sent (27.6% response rate) were completed.

Results

A Mann-Whitney U was run to determine differences in the Pro-QOL survey between those scoring high or low in civic-mindedness at graduation. Higher civic-mindedness scores exhibited significantly lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction.

Conclusion

Higher levels of civic-mindedness appear to have a protective effect against developing CF.