Can communication skills training improve empathy? A six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan

Kataoka, Hitomi; Iwase, Toshihide; Ogawa, Hiroyasu; Mahmood, Sabina; Sato, Masaru; DeSantis, Jennifer; Hojat, Mohammadreza; Gonnella, Joseph S.

doi:10.1080/0142159x.2018.1460657

Cited by 80 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…However, whether empathy is sustained or enhanced long-term is not able to be determined. Indeed, a recent study suggests the need for repeated exposure to empathy-enhancing activities in order to reinforce the cognitive dimensions of empathic communication with patients continuously (Kataoka et al 2019). Further, students' learning in the affective domain could not be fully elucidated from the brief responses analyzed in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Beyond communication training: The MaRIS model for developing medical students’ human capabilities and personal resilience

et al. 2019

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Purpose: Human capabilities in medicine, including communication skills, are increasingly important within the complex, challenging and dynamic landscape of healthcare. Supporting medical students to manage unavoidable role-related stressors adaptively may help mitigate the anguish that is too commonly reported among the profession. We developed a model, "MaRIS", underpinned by contemplative pedagogy, to support medical students to enhance their human capabilities, across all three domains of Bloom's taxonomy, and their personal resilience. It is the first to integrate Mindfulness, affective Reflection, Impactive experiences and a Supportive environment into medical curriculum design. Here, we describe the theoretical basis underpinning MaRIS and present a preliminary study to evaluate its impact on students' subjectively-rated capabilities. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire capturing self-ratings of competence, empathy and resilience, as well as impressions of their experiences, was administered to foundation year medical students before (T0), during (T1) and after delivery (T2). Results: Fifty-five students completed the survey at all time points. Mean scores for all domains increased significantly from T0 to T1 and from T0 to T2. Free-text comments suggest learning impact across the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Conclusions: MaRIS appears to facilitate medical students' establishment of the foundations for building the human capabilities and personal resilience required for professional practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Beyond communication training: The MaRIS model for developing medical students’ human capabilities and personal resilience

et al. 2019

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“…Moreover, some studies that showed an increase in dental students' empathy noted this could be due to recently-completed communication lectures and practices [20]. Training in communication skills, including role playing with SPs who provide feedback, is effective in increasing empathy, but the effect is not sustained [21]. Although we provided medical interviewing training immediately after their enrollment, speci c communication instruction focused on empathy was not implemented during their residency in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Most previous studies have used a single measurement for empathy, especially self-reported measures [12,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. This may provide a limited understanding of empathy, because it is a multidimensional attribute.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does postgraduate clinical training reduce empathy among Japanese trainee dentists? A multi-perspective assessment

Yoshida

Watanabe

Kono

et al. 2020

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Background: Enhancing empathy in healthcare education is a critical component of delivering better patient care; however, the decline of empathy among students has been frequently reported. It is especially common when the curriculum transitions to a clinical setting. However, some studies have questioned the significance and frequency of this decline. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether postgraduate clinical training reduced dental trainees’ empathy levels toward patients.Methods: This study included 64 trainee dentists at Okayama University Hospital and 13 simulated patients (SPs). The trainee dentists completed the Japanese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for health professionals just before conducting initial medical interviews with SPs twice, at the beginning and the end of their clinical training. The SPs evaluated the trainees’ communication using an assessment questionnaire immediately after the interviews. The videotaped interview data were analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Results: When comparing the results from the beginning and end of training, trainee dentists showed sustained levels of self-reported empathy, decreased communication behavior in the emotional responsiveness category, and an unchanged assessment in communication from the simulated patients.Conclusions: Overall, a one-year postgraduate dental training program neither reduced nor increased trainee dentists’ empathy levels. Providing regular education support in this area may help trainees foster their empathy.

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“…Moreover, some studies that showed an increase in dental students' empathy and noted that this could be due to recently completed communication lectures and practices [35]. Training in communication skills, including role playing with simulated patients who provide feedback, is effective in increasing empathy, but the effect is not sustained [36]. Although we provided medical interviewing training immediately after their enrollment, speci c communication instruction focused on empathy was not implemented during their residency in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Does Postgraduate Clinical Training Reduce Empathy Among Japanese Trainee Dentists? A Multi-perspective Assessment

Yoshida

Watanabe

Kono

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Even though enhancing empathy in healthcare education is a critical component of delivering better care to patients, the erosion of empathy has been frequently reported, especially when the curriculum transitions to clinical training. However, some studies have questioned the significance and frequency of this decline in empathy. Thus, this study determined whether postgraduate clinical training reduced dental trainees’ empathy.Methods: This study included 64 trainee dentists at Okayama University Hospital and 13 simulated patients (SPs). The trainee dentists completed the Japanese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for health professionals immediately before conducting initial medical interviews with SPs twice, at the beginning and the end of their clinical training. The SPs evaluated the trainees’ communication using an assessment questionnaire immediately after the interviews. The videotaped dialogue in interview was analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Results: Sustained levels of trainees’ self-reported empathy, decreased communication behavior in emotional responsiveness for trainees, and unchanged SPs’ assessment of trainees’ communication were found when comparing results from the beginning and the end of the training.Conclusions: Overall, one-year postgraduate dental training neither reduced nor increased the empathy of the trainees. Providing regular educational support may help trainees to foster their empathy.

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Can communication skills training improve empathy? A six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan

Abstract: Targeted educational programs to enhance empathy in medical students can have a significant effect; however, additional reinforcements may be needed for a sustained effect.

Cited by 80 publications

References 30 publications

Beyond communication training: The MaRIS model for developing medical students’ human capabilities and personal resilience

Beyond communication training: The MaRIS model for developing medical students’ human capabilities and personal resilience

Does postgraduate clinical training reduce empathy among Japanese trainee dentists? A multi-perspective assessment

Does Postgraduate Clinical Training Reduce Empathy Among Japanese Trainee Dentists? A Multi-perspective Assessment

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