Does empathy change in first‐year dental students?

Abstract

Introduction: Professionalism is a central tenet of the dental undergraduate curriculum. Dental undergraduate curricula and standards expect the dentist to put the patient’s interests first, and in this respect, an important attitude is empathy. Objective: This study examined the self‐reported empathy levels of first‐year dental students before and after an early analytical exposure to behavioural sciences and the clinical encounter. Method: First‐year dental undergraduates were given an attitudinal questionnaire to complete before and after the behavioural science course. The questionnaire consisted of the HP version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy and the Patient‐Practitioner Orientation Scale. Paired non‐parametric tests and Spearman’s Rho correlations, along with simple descriptive statistics, were used to test the statistical significance of observations. Results: A total of 66 paired questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 75%. There were no correlations between age and total mean score of JSPE or PPOS, and no gender differences. There was a significant increase (P < 0.01) in empathy as measured by the JSPE between pre‐ and post‐course scores. The PPOS did not record any significant change in the sharing, caring or total scale scores pre‐ to post‐course. Conclusion: The modified JSPE has potential utility in assessing the cognitive‐affective aspect of dental students’ empathy. Using the JSPE, short‐term measurable empathy changes can be detected in first‐year dental undergraduates after the structured and assessed analytical introduction to the clinical encounter and environment.

Empatía en estudiantes de enfermería de la Universidad Mayor, Sede Temuco, IX región, Chile

“…Aunque pareciera no haber fundamento para decir si la empatía es una dimensión de la personalidad, una emoción experimentada o una habilidad observable, sí se sabe que involucra la habilidad de comunicar la comprensión del mundo del paciente. Por estas razones se sigue estudiando y, a pesar de que existe amplia información en la literatura que investiga la empatía, se considera a esta como un constructo clave como facilitador importante en las relaciones paciente-profesional del área salud (55)(56)(57), entre otros muchos complejos procesos involucrados en ella.…”

Factores relacionados con la empatía en estudiantes de medicina de la Universidad de Cartagena

“…En este sentido, algunos autores han explicado que las mujeres pueden desarrollar un tipo diferente de atención con una mayor capacidad de identificarse con las experiencias del paciente y sus sentimientos 34,35 . Contrario a esto, varios estudios en estudiantes de Ciencias de la Salud no encontraron estas diferencias 15,36,37 , por lo cual se sugiere que aún no está completamente claro si los niveles de empatía están influenciados por el sexo. De igual forma se podría pensar que estas diferencias pueden estar influidas por otros factores, algunos motivacionales relacionados con la etapa de desarrollo en que se encuentren y otros por el comportamiento individual ligado a la calidad humana de cada estudiante.…”

Measuring Empathy Towards Patients among Dental Under Graduate Students of Bangalore City-A Cross Sectional Study

“…Among these, the Jefferson scale of physician empathy has been found to be valid and reliable in assessing empathy among dental students. 2,3,8,9 Most of the studies reveal that there is a decrease in empathy as the students progress in their academics. However there are very few studies assessing empathy among dental students.…”

“…These culminate into a desirable type of "chair side manner" that generates understanding and produces positive rapport with patients. [2][3][4] One of the challenges in measuring empathy among health care professionals is the abundant descriptions of empathy from the various domains of psychology and neuroscience. Although many formal descriptions of empathy exist, a concise agreed-upon definition of empathy is still lacking.…”