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

Figures & data

Table 1 Participant demographic characteristics

	n	%
Sex
Male	54	44.3%
Female	68	55.7%
Are either of your parents a medical doctor?
Yes	21	17.2%
No	101	82.8%
Are you the eldest child in your family?
Yes	49	40.2%
No	73	59.8%
Have you cared for a person with a permanent disability in your family, now or in the past?
Yes	15	12.3%
No	107	87.7%
Are you an international student?
Yes	11	9%
No	111	91%
What ethnic group do you belong to?
Chinese	86	70.5%
Indian	23	18.9%
Other	13	9.8%
What is your religious denomination?
Christian	43	35.2%
Buddhist	51	41.8%
Islamic	5	4.1%
Hindu	13	10.7%
Other	10	8.2%

Table 2 Mean item-level comparisons before and after (5 weeks)

Item	Pre test mean (SD)	Post test mean (SD)	CI (95%)	P-value
Physician’s understanding of the feelings of the patient and family does not influence medical or surgical treatment	5.22 (1.75)	6.09 (1.46)	−1.23–0.505	0.017
Patients feel better when their physician understands their feelings	6.61 (1.06)	6.67 (0.88)	−0.257–0.143	0.000
It is difficult for a physician to view things from the patient’s perspective	4.77 (1.31)	4.98 (1.41)	−0.520–0.110	0.074
Understanding body language is as important as verbal communication in the physician–patient relationship	6.06 (1.32)	6.63 (0.91)	−0.836–0.311	0.538
A physician’s sense of humor contributes to a better clinical outcome	5.18 (1.41)	5.55 (1.37)	−0.635–0.103	0.000
People are different, so it is difficult to see things from patients’ perspectives	4.05 (1.58)	4.20 (1.40)	−0.519–0.207	0.396
Patients’ emotions is not important in history-taking	6.20 (1.13)	6.56 (1.00)	−0.630–0.090	0.976
Paying attention to patients’ experiences does not influence treatment outcomes	5.93 (1.26)	6.33 (1.26)	−0.706–0.080	0.625
Physicians should try to put themselves in the patient’s position when caring for them	6.34 (0.95)	5.98 (1.54)	0.064–0.641	0.009
Patients value a physician’s understanding of their feelings, and this is therapeutic in its own right	5.76 (1.22)	5.87 (1.75)	−0.507–0.294	0.275
Patients’ illnesses can be cured only by medical or surgical treatment; therefore, a physician’s emotional involvement does not have a significant role in treatment	5.90 (1.48)	6.29 (1.17)	−0.726–0.043	0.895
Asking patients about what is happening in their personal lives is not helpful in understanding their physical complaints	6.04 (1.23)	6.28 (1.28)	−0.579–0.104	0.090
Physicians should try to understand what is going on in their patients’ minds by paying attention to nonverbal cues and body language	5.84 (1.39)	6.28 (1.42)	−0.792–0.093	0.662
Emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness	6.20 (1.25)	6.38 (1.08)	−0.462–0.101	0.315
Empathy is a therapeutic skill without which the physician’s success is limited	5.60 (1.53)	6.07 (1.62)	−0.840–0.094	0.162
Physician’s understanding of the emotional status of their patients, as well as that of their families, is an important component of the physician–patient relationship	5.99 (1.33)	6.55 (0.81)	−0.825–0.290	0.333
Physicians should try to think like their patients in order to render better care	5.58 (1.32)	5.71 (1.71)	−0.465–0.203	0.003
Physicians should not allow themselves to be influenced by strong personal bonds between patients and their family members	2.95 (1.59)	3.15 (1.83)	−0.589–0.196	0.042
I do not enjoy reading nonmedical literature and have no involvement with the arts	5.56 (1.72)	5.77 (1.43)	−0.530–0.104	0.000
I believe that empathy is an important therapeutic factor in medical treatment	6.30 (1.10)	6.60 (1.03)	−0.543–0.047	0.080

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation.