Rapid Scoping Review: Empathy in Health Sciences Curriculum

Mediating role of ethical sensitivity in the relationship between empathy and professional values among nursing master's students in China: A cross-sectional study

In the evolving landscape of nursing education in China, where only 0.2% of clinical nurses hold master's degrees, upholding professional values among nursing students is crucial in ensuring good patient, nurse, and organization outcomes. Empathy and ethical sensitivity are pivotal in shaping professional values, affecting decision-making, stress management, and nurse-patient relationships. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of empathy and ethical sensitivity in enhancing professional values among nursing master's students remain underexplored. This cross-sectional study aims to test and compare 2 mediation models with empathy and ethical sensitivity as mediators in affecting professional values among nursing master's students in China. From September to October 2023, 236 nursing master's students were selected from a university in Jiangsu Province, China, using convenience sampling. The students' empathy, ethical sensitivity, and professional values were assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Nursing Student (JSPE-NS), the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (ESQ-NS), and the Nursing Professional Values Scale (NPVS), respectively. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the effects of empathy and ethical sensitivity on professional values. The mediation models were examined via bootstrapping techniques using SPSS PROCESS v.4.3 macros (Model 4). Findings revealed that the mean scores for empathy, ethical sensitivity, and professional values among nursing master's students were 104.64 ± 17.28, 39.43 ± 7.71, and 97.99 ± 18.69, respectively. Both empathy (β = 0.385, P < .001) and ethical sensitivity (β = 0.371, P < .001) were independently associated with professional values. Both medication models were statistically significant, and we chose the model that aligns better with established nursing theory and practice: ethical sensitivity partially mediated the relationship between empathy and professional values. The level of professional values among nursing master's students is moderate. Additionally, ethical sensitivity plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between empathy and professional values. Therefore, enhancing ethical education to improve the ethical sensitivity and empathy of nursing master's students is essential for fostering the establishment of appropriate professional values.

A longitudinal curriculum to teach and assess empathy within the doctor of pharmacy curriculum

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to assess changes in empathy throughout a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program using a self-assessment tool and assessment by standardized patients (SPs).

METHODS

This study was conducted over the course of a three-year, accelerated PharmD curriculum. Students participated in a series of educational interventions focused on empathy development within the didactic curriculum. Within the experiential curriculum, students applied empathy skills and participated in interprofessional workshops during their experiential rotations. Self and SP assessed empathy was measured at baseline and upon conclusion of the study.

RESULTS

PharmD students' self-rated empathy did not meaningfully change over the three-year period while SP-rated empathy increased.

CONCLUSION

Students were able to demonstrate empathetic behaviors as perceived by the SPs, even though they did not change their self-ratings from baseline. This difference may be due to students' ability to demonstrate empathetic behaviors without feeling higher levels of empathy or a decline in empathy due to burnout.

Does social empathy moderate fear-induced minority blaming during the COVID-19 pandemic?

This study investigated the minority-blaming phenomenon in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic amplified fear, discrimination, and structural inequalities among minoritized groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified who was blamed for the spread of COVID-19 and the sociodemographic characteristics associated with this blame. Additionally, it examines the roles of individual and interpersonal fear and social empathy in minority blaming. We measured the fear of COVID-19 at both individual and interpersonal levels. Individual fear was assessed through personal health concerns, while the fear of transmitting the virus to others was measured as interpersonal fear. Social empathy was defined by macro perspective-taking, cognitive empathy, self-other awareness, and affective responses. The study was conducted through an online survey involving a quota sample of 1,500 South Korean participants aged 19-69 years, based on age, gender, and residential area. The response was collected in December 2020, when mass infections in specific communities received attention from mass and social media before the national spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analytical strategies, including OLS and hierarchical regression models, were employed to examine the roles of socioeconomic factors, individual and interpersonal fear, and social empathy in minority blaming. This study found varying correlations between sociodemographic factors and attitudes toward ethnic, religious, sexual, economic, and age-minority groups. Individual fear of contracting COVID-19 was associated with increased blame across all minority groups. In contrast, interpersonal fear was associated with increased blame only for ethnic and religious minority groups. Similarly, social empathy presented mixed associations, as it displayed a buffering role on blaming ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities when considered alongside interpersonal fear, yet mildly intensified blame for economic and age minorities. These findings provide an understanding on fear-induced minority blaming during the pandemic and the potential role of social empathy in mitigating blame.