Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a fundamental aspect of patient care. 1 Empathy shown by a health care professional to a patient, or 'therapeutic empathy', involves a) understanding the patient, b) communicating that understanding, and c) acting on that shared understanding in a helpful (therapeutic) way. 2 This would suggest that to authentically communicate understanding, or act upon that understanding there must be the understanding within the health care professional. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a fundamental aspect of patient care.

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