How well do medical students express empathy?.
10.3946/kjme.2014.26.3.217
- Author:
Yera HUR
1
;
A Ra CHO
;
Sun KIM
Author Information
1. Faculty Development & Mentoring Center, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
- Publication Type:Brief Communication
- Keywords:
Medical education;
Medical students;
Empathy;
Communication;
Physician-patient relations
- MeSH:
Education;
Education, Medical;
Empathy*;
Humans;
Physician-Patient Relations;
Students, Medical*
- From:Korean Journal of Medical Education
2014;26(3):217-221
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: Empathy is an important trait of a physician and a key element in the physician-patient relationship. This study evaluated the ability to express empathy in medical students. METHODS: Medical student empathy was measured by the modified Pencil-and-Paper Empathy Rating Test of Winefield and Chur-Hansen. The subjects comprised 110 medical students. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis and t-test using SPSS version 21.0 (IBM Corp.). RESULTS: Empathy rating test scores were low-level in medical students (mean, 12.59). There were no differences in the level of ability to express empathy between genders (t=-1.714, p=0.089). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that practical training in expressing empathy should be included in medical education and that an empathy training program must be focused on changes in behavior.
