Accentuate the Positive: Reflections on Empathic Interpersonal Interactions

Abreu, Beatriz C.

doi:10.5014/ajot.2011.656002

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Rather than a personal quality that may be modified wholesale through appropriate training, this research suggests that empathy is relational , that it represents an engagement between a subject and an object. Furthermore, this research suggests that empathy favours individuals who we perceive as similar to ourselves . Therefore, in research on clinical empathy, issues such as race, class, gender and cultural competency cannot be neglected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…The full texts of the remaining 305 articles were examined for goodness of fit with the study criteria. This process resulted in the exclusion of 196 of these publications, leaving 109 articles . Subsequently, the following information was extracted from each remaining article: the definition of empathy (if present), and whether the definition incorporated thinking, feeling, acting or more than one of these components.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing empathy development in medical education: a systematic review

2016

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Introduction Empathy in doctor-patient relationships is a familiar topic for medical scholars, and a crucial goal for medical educators. Nonetheless, there are persistent disagreements in the research literature concerning how best to evaluate empathy among physicians, and whether empathy declines or increases across medical education. Some researchers have argued that the instruments used to study “empathy” may not be measuring anything meaningful to clinical practice or to patient satisfaction. Methods We performed a systematic review to learn how empathy is conceptualized in medical education research. How do researchers define the central construct of empathy, and what do they choose to measure? How well do definitions and operationalizations match? Results Among the 109 studies that met our search criteria, 20% failed to define the central construct of empathy at all, and only 13% had an operationalization that was well-matched to the definition provided. The majority of studies were characterized by internal inconsistencies and vagueness in both the conceptualization and operationalization of empathy, constraining the validity and usefulness of the research. The methods most commonly used to measure empathy relied heavily on self-report and cognition divorced from action, and may therefore have limited power to predict the presence or absence of empathy in clinical settings. Finally, the large majority of studies treated empathy itself as a black box, using global construct measurements that are unable to shed light on the underlying processes that produce empathic response. Discussion We suggest that future research should follow the lead of basic scientific research that conceptualizes empathy as relational—an engagement between a subject and an object—rather than a personal quality that may be modified wholesale through appropriate training.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing empathy development in medical education: a systematic review

2016

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“…3 Once viewed as an innate character trait, it is now understood as a complex, dynamic, homophilic relational process based on the demands placed on individuals in the context of their environment. 4 The study of empathy is challenging because of disagreements about its definition, weaknesses in study methodologies, and differences in the construct measured in past studies. 5,6 The lack of consensus about the definition of empathy in medical education is bolstered by complex variables, including the relationship of an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and social and institutional norms.…”

Section: Role Of Empathymentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>The Long-Term Effectiveness of Empathic Interventions in Medical Education: A Systematic Review</p>

Baugh¹,

Hoogland²,

Baugh³

2020

AMEP

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The Association of American Medical Colleges recognizes that empathy is an important part of providing excellent patient care and lists empathy as a Core Entrustable Professional Attribute for physicians. This study is a review of the literature focusing on studies with an educational intervention to promote empathy and at least one year follow-up data. After reviewing the 4910 abstracts retrieved from PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Embase; the coauthors selected 61 articles for full-text review and completed a medical education research study quality instrument (MERSQI) to ensure all selected studies scored at least 7 or above. Five studies from the US and seven international studies met our inclusion criteria and formed the basis for the study. Few longitudinal studies with a post-intervention follow-up exist to confirm or disprove the effectiveness and durability of empathy training. Of the published studies that do conduct long-term follow-up, study design and measures used to test empathy are inconsistent. Despite the high degree of heterogeneity, the overwhelming majority demonstrated declining empathy over time. Little evidence was identified to support the ability to augment the empathy of physician trainees in sustained fashion. A model is presented which explains the observed changes. Alternative solutions are proposed, including the selection of more prosocial candidates.

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