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Medical Teacher Volume 35, 2013 - Issue 12
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Articles

Enhancing and sustaining empathy in medical students

Mohammadreza HojatJefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, USA; MOHAMMADREZA HOJAT, PhD, is Research Professor of psychiatry and human behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and director, Jefferson Longitudinal Study of Medical Education, Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Correspondence[email protected]
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David AxelrodJefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, USA; DAVID AXELROD, MD, JD, is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine. He is the course director for 2nd year medical students in Introduction to Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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John SpandorferJefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, USA; JOHN SPANDORFER, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine and Roger Daniel associate dean for professionalism in medicine, Department of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Salvatore MangioneJefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, USA; SALVATORE MANGIONE, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine, director of Physical Diagnosis Course and associate director, Internal Medicine Residency, Department of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Pages 996-1001 | Published online: 11 Jun 2013
 
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Abstract

Background: Empathy is an important component of physician competence that needs to be enhanced.

Aim: To test the hypotheses that medical students’ empathy can be enhanced and sustained by targeted activities.

Methods: This was a two-phase study in which 248 medical students participated. In Phase 1, students in the experimental group watched and discussed video clips of patient encounters meant to enhance empathic understanding; those in the control group watched a documentary film. Ten weeks later in Phase 2 of the study, students who were in the experimental group were divided into two groups. One group attended a lecture on empathy in patient care, and the other plus the control group watched a movie about racism. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was administered pre-post in Phase 1 and posttest in Phase 2.

Results: In Phase 1, the JSE mean score for the experimental group improved significantly (p < 0.01); no change in the JSE scores was observed in the control group. In Phase 2, the JSE mean score improvement was sustained in the group that attended the lecture, but not in the other group. No change in empathy was noticed in the control group.

Conclusion: Research hypotheses were confirmed.

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