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Chen H, Xuan H, Cai J, Liu M, Shi L. The impact of empathy on medical students: an integrative review. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:455. [PMID: 38664799 PMCID: PMC11047033 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05448-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Empathy is considered the ability to understand or feel others emotions or experiences. As an important part of medical education, empathy can affect medical students in many ways. It is still lacking a comprehensive evaluation of the existing articles on empathy's impact on medical students, despite the existence of many articles on the topic. OBJECTIVES To summarize the impact of empathy on medical students during medical education from four perspectives: mental health, academic performance, clinical competence, and specialty preference. METHODS The search terms used for retrieval were "empathy", "medical student", "mental health", "depression", "anxiety", "burnout", "examinations", "academic performance", "clinical competence", "specialty preference" on PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science before January 2024. The search was carried out by two reviewers. Titles and abstracts were screened independently and reviewed based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. A consensus was drawn on which articles were included. RESULTS Our results indicated that high empathy was a positive factor for mental health, However, students with high affective empathy were more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and burnout. Empathy was found to be unrelated to academic performance, but positively correlated with clinical competence, particularly in terms of communication skills. Medical students with high levels of empathy tended to prefer people-oriented majors. CONCLUSIONS Medical students who score higher on the self-reported empathy scales often have better mental health, better communication skills, and tend to choose people-oriented specialties. But empathy is not related to academic performance. Additionally, the different dimensions of empathy have different impacts on medical students. It is necessary to design targeted courses and training for medical students to enhance their empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Hanwen Xuan
- Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Jinquan Cai
- Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China.
| | - Meichen Liu
- Modern Educational Technology Center, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China.
| | - Lei Shi
- School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
- School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Innes SI, Simpson JK. Empathy levels in Australian chiropractic students. THE JOURNAL OF CHIROPRACTIC EDUCATION 2022; 36:110-116. [PMID: 35294012 PMCID: PMC9536223 DOI: 10.7899/jce-21-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Empathy is an important modifiable quality of health care practitioners that relates to the quality of patient care. The educative process may adversely affect the empathy levels of health care students at key phases of training. This topic remains unexplored in chiropractic students to date. METHODS A voluntary and anonymous questionnaire was distributed to all chiropractic students in an Australian university-based program in April 2021. This questionnaire recorded age, sex, year of study, and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire scores. RESULTS Chiropractic student empathy scores approximated those of other Australian health care students. No statistical differences were found when comparing the mean scores of empathy levels across the 5 student cohorts. The empathy levels of female chiropractic students' were significantly higher than those of the male chiropractic students. CONCLUSION This study provides a baseline from which further explorations on empathy may be conducted in chiropractic students. This holds the potential to improve practitioners' quality of life and patient outcomes and for educators to identify subject matter that may negatively affect empathy levels.
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Permatasari TAE, Syafruddin A. The relationship between oxytocin levels with empathy and breastfeeding intention in female medical students: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022; 81:104486. [PMID: 36147160 PMCID: PMC9486696 DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Ursoniu S, Serban CL, Giurgi-Oncu C, Rivis IA, Bucur A, Bredicean AC, Papava I. Validation of the Romanian Version of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) among Undergraduate Medical Students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182412871. [PMID: 34948481 PMCID: PMC8701033 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182412871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Medical professionals require adequate abilities to identify others’ emotions and express personal emotions. We aimed to determine the validity and reliability of an empathy measuring tool in medical students for this study. We employed Spreng’s Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) as a starting point for this validation. The process was performed in several steps, including an English-Romanian-English translation and a focus group meeting to establish each question’s degree of understandability and usability, with minor improvements of wording in each step. We checked internal and external consistency in a pilot group (n = 67). For construct and convergent validity, we used a sample of 649 students. The overall internal and external reliability performed well, with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.727 and respective ICC = 0.776. The principal component analysis resulted in 3 components: prosocial helping behavior, inappropriate sensitivity, dismissive attitude. Component 1 includes positively worded questions, and components 2 and 3 include negatively worded questions. Women had significantly higher scores than men in convergent validity, but we did not highlight any differences for other demographic factors. The Romanian version of the TEQ is a reliable and valid tool to measure empathy among undergraduate medical students that may be further used in subsequent research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sorin Ursoniu
- Department of Functional Sciences, Discipline of Public Health, Center for Translational Research and Systems Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (S.U.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Costela Lacrimioara Serban
- Department of Functional Sciences, Discipline of Public Health, Center for Translational Research and Systems Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (S.U.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Catalina Giurgi-Oncu
- Department of Neuroscience, Discipline of Psychiatry, Center for Cognitive Research in Neuropsychiatric Pathology (NeuroPsy-Cog), “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (C.G.-O.); (A.-C.B.); (I.P.)
| | - Ioana Alexandra Rivis
- Department of Neuroscience, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Adina Bucur
- Department of Functional Sciences, Discipline of Public Health, Center for Translational Research and Systems Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (S.U.); (C.L.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-723-786442
| | - Ana-Cristina Bredicean
- Department of Neuroscience, Discipline of Psychiatry, Center for Cognitive Research in Neuropsychiatric Pathology (NeuroPsy-Cog), “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (C.G.-O.); (A.-C.B.); (I.P.)
- Psychiatry Compartment, “Dr. Victor Popescu” Emergency Military Clinical Hospital, 300080 Timișoara, Romania
| | - Ion Papava
- Department of Neuroscience, Discipline of Psychiatry, Center for Cognitive Research in Neuropsychiatric Pathology (NeuroPsy-Cog), “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania; (C.G.-O.); (A.-C.B.); (I.P.)
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Akgün Ö, Akdeniz M, Kavukcu E, Avcı HH. Medical Students' Empathy Level Differences by Medical Year, Gender, and Specialty Interest in Akdeniz University. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT 2020; 7:2382120520940658. [PMID: 32923670 PMCID: PMC7446269 DOI: 10.1177/2382120520940658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As an important feature in patient-physician communication for both primary and clinical care, empathy is one of the basic competencies that physicians should possess. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the level of empathy among medical students in all years of medical training using two different instruments: the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (for clinical empathy level) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (for general empathy level). MATERIALS AND METHODS This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in 2017-2018 academic year with students studying at Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine. Data collection form, Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) and Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) was applied to the students by the researchers. The statistical analysis was carried out by using IBM-SPSS version 23 for Mac OS. T-test, ANOVA test, Spearman and Pearson correlation analysis were used for comparisons. RESULTS The mean TEQ score of the students was 52.8/65 and the JSPE-S score was 80.3/100. TEQ scores of students increased up to 4th year and then decreased, but the difference between the years was not statistically significant. The third year students' JSPE-S scores were significantly higher than that of the sixth year students. CONCLUSION While the clinical empathy levels of medical students decreased significantly after 3rd year, the general empathy levels decreased less. This result shows us that we should review our medical education curriculum and educational environment, and should initiate initiatives, and devote more time to empathy education in order to prevent the decrease in empathy level and increase empathy during medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özge Akgün
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University Hospital, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Melahat Akdeniz
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University Hospital, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Ethem Kavukcu
- Department of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University Hospital, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Hasan Hüseyin Avcı
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University Hospital, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
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Yang WY, Low YE, Ng WJ, Ong SH, Jamil JA. Investigation of empathy amongst dietetic interns at selected primary and tertiary health-care facilities. Nutr Diet 2019; 77:231-239. [PMID: 31199060 DOI: 10.1111/1747-0080.12562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM Empathy is an essential aspect in the delivery of quality nutrition care and promoting better outcomes in patients. With an increased emphasis of patient-centred care in dietetic practice, empathy should underpin the construct of the curriculum in dietetic education. The present study investigated the empathy level of dietetic interns through self-reporting measures and patients' perception. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 57 dietetic interns and 99 patients from primary and tertiary health care settings. The dietetic interns completed the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) while the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure was self-administered by patients. Socio-demographic information of participants was collected. RESULTS The dietetic interns' mean (standard deviation [SD]) TEQ scores were 46.90 ± 5.28 and 47.78 ± 5.34 in primary and tertiary care, respectively. CARE measure scores rated by patients in the primary care were 38.61 ± 8.38 and for tertiary setting, the scores were slightly higher (39.47 ± 7.65). The settings, gender, ethnicity and period of internship did not affect dietetic interns' empathy level. In primary care, CARE scores were significantly different between patients' age grouping (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS Findings from the present study showed that patients' age significantly affected their perception of dietetic interns' empathy in primary health care. These preliminary findings could facilitate an understanding of the level of empathy amongst interns for consideration in the future design of dietetic training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Y Yang
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yi E Low
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wan J Ng
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Shu H Ong
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Jamilah A Jamil
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Yang WY, Fu Y. Level of empathy among dietitians: A pilot study. Nutr Diet 2018; 75:411-417. [PMID: 29633503 DOI: 10.1111/1747-0080.12421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM The health-care providers' empathy has been linked to better patient outcomes. The increased demand for dietetics services has called for dietitians to examine their clinical practices and encounters with patients. To date, there are limited studies published on empathy among dietitians. Hence, this study aimed to determine the clinical dietitians' empathy level in Malaysia. METHODS Using a purposive sampling method, this study was conducted on dietitians practising in the Malaysian hospitals (government and private). The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), a validated 16-item questionnaire was self-administered, either by online survey method or face-to-face method. Additional information on gender, ethnicity, years of experience and percentage of working time spent on clinical, administrative and other areas were collected. RESULTS A total of 69 dietitians participated in the study (private (n = 36) and government (n = 33)). The dietitians' mean total TEQ scores were 49.72 ± 5.62 (score ranged between 35 and 63). Significant difference of mean total TEQ scores was found between dietitians from private (51.06 ± 5.26) and government hospitals (48.27 ± 5.72). There was no significant difference in the level of empathy by gender, ethnicity, years of experience and percentage of time spent on clinical consultations, administration or others while at work. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study showed that there were differences in empathy level of Malaysian dietitians by work setting. This preliminary finding serves as a baseline for future studies and could facilitate the development of dietetics education in Malaysia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Y Yang
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yen Fu
- Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Janoušková M, Weissová A, Formánek T, Pasz J, Bankovská Motlová L. Mental illness stigma among medical students and teachers. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2017; 63:744-751. [PMID: 29034811 DOI: 10.1177/0020764017735347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical school curriculum contributes to future doctors' attitude formation towards people with mental illness. AIM The purpose of this study was to compare stigmatizing attitudes between medical students and faculty, analyse stigmatizing attitudes among students from different years of study and identify factors predicting stigma. METHODS A cross-sectional study with the use of scales measuring attitudes and social distance was designed. Online questionnaires were distributed to all students and teachers at a medical faculty in the Czech Republic. RESULTS The response rate was 32.1% ( n = 308) among students and 26.7% ( n = 149) among teachers. Teachers had a greater prevalence of stigmatizing attitudes than students. Increased tolerant attitudes in students were detected after the fourth year, that is, following introduction to psychiatry. Preferred specialization in psychiatry and attending two psychiatry courses predicted more tolerant attitudes. Among both students and teachers, men possessed more stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness. Age was an important predictor of stigmatizing attitudes among teachers. CONCLUSION Educators should pay closer attention to the role of medical psychology and communication training implementation, which may be beneficial to improving skills and increasing medical students' self-esteem and feeling of competence throughout their psychiatry rotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miroslava Janoušková
- 1 Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Aneta Weissová
- 1 Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Formánek
- 1 Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Pasz
- 1 Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.,2 Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Bankovská Motlová
- 1 Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.,3 Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Zaletel I, Marić G, Gazibara T, Rakočević J, Labudović Borović M, Puškaš N, Bajčetić M. Relevance and attitudes toward histology and embryology course through the eyes of freshmen and senior medical students: Experience from Serbia. Ann Anat 2016; 208:217-221. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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