Background: The doctor-patient relationship has been recognized throughout the history of medicine and its importance was emphasized in the delivery of healthcare services and health outcomes. One of the major roles of empathy is changing a pathologic mind’s configuration, and the establishment of a linkage between a doctor and patient is a crucial element of a strong therapeutic alliance and health outcome. This is an element to gain trust and comprehension to sustain a good communication and to eliminate burden for both the doctor and the patient. Objective: To determine the empathy scores of Physicians of Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) towards patients. Methods: This was a purely descriptive study thru survey of DFCM physicians conducted among patients catered at the DFCM OPD of R1MC. Result: In this study, the authors had a total 614 respondent from the six different districts in Pangasinan. All of them were able to answer the questionnaire based on Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) model which was utilized in this study in assessing the empathy score of Family and Community Medicine Department Physicians in Region I Medical Center. The overall mean CARE Measure score was 48.77 (SD 3.38) and 77.2% achieved the maximum possible score of 50. Conclusion Based on the findings and analysis of the data gathered in this research study using CARE Measure, we therefore concluded that physicians from the Department of Family and Community Medicine of Region I Medical Center showed great empathy towards patients as based on the empathy score of excellent.
Physician-Patient Relations