Overlap between empathy, teamwork and integrative approach to patient care

Abstract

Background: Empathy, teamwork and an integrative approach to patient care share common denominators such as interpersonal skills and understanding patients' concerns. Thus, a significant overlap among measures of empathy, teamwork and integrative approach to patient care is expected.

Aim: This study examined the magnitude of overlap (shared variance) among three measures of empathy, teamwork and an integrative approach to patient care.

Methods: Three-hundred seventy-three medical students completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) and Integrative Patient Care (IPC).

Results: Significant overlaps were found among the three measures (p < 0.01), ranging from 13% (r = 0.36), between JSAPNC and IPC, to 18% (r = 0.42), between JSE and JSAPNC, and 30% (r = 0.55) between JSE and IPC for the total sample. Pattern of findings was similar for men and women. In a multiple regression model, a significant multiple correlation (R = 0.60, p < 0.01) was obtained in correlating scores on the JSE with the JSAPNC, and IPC scores, controlling for gender effect (men = 0 and women = 1).

Conclusions: The significant links between empathy, teamwork and IPC support the common denominator assumption. The findings that IPC shares common variance with empathy and teamwork have implications for medical education curriculum, suggesting that implementation of integrative patient care can improve empathic engagement in patient care and orientation toward teamwork.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dorissa Bolinski for her editorial assistance.

Declaration of interest: We declare no conflict of interest.

This study was supported, in part, by a grant from the American Osteopathic Association.

Glossary

Empathy: In the context of medical education and patient care, empathy is defined as predominantly a cognitive attribute that involves an understanding of experiences, concerns and perspective of the patient, combined with a capacity to communicate this understanding, and an intention to help (Hojat 2007).

Teamwork and interprofessional collaboration: Defined as multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds, provide comprehensive services by working with patients, their families and community to deliver the highest quality of care across settings (WHO 2010).

Integrative patient care: An integrative effort consisting of patients, patients' families, friends, the doctors and other health professionals, achieved through a comprehensive system of patient education where patients and the healthcare professionals collaborate as a team, share knowledge and work toward the common goals of optimum treatment and recover (Cronin 2004).

Notes on contributors

MOHAMMADREZA HOJAT, PhD, is a 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, Sidney Kimmel Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.

JOSEPH A. BIANCO, PhD, is a Faculty at the Department of Social Medicine at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH.

DOUGLAS MANN, PhD, is a Faculty at the Department of Social Medicine at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH.

DAVID MASSELLO, BA, is the Vice President and Director of Operation, The Foundation for Osteopathic Research and Continuous Education, Highland Park, IL.

LEONARD H. CALABRESE, DO, is the Chair, Department of Rheumatic and Immunological Diseases at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.