scholarly journals Your pain is not mine: A critique of clinical empathy

Bioethics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Stefanello
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Empathy

scholarly journals Clinical empathy as emotional labor in medical work

2020 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 112904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra H. Vinson ◽  
Kelly Underman
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Medical Work ◽  
Clinical Empathy

scholarly journals What is clinical empathy?

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 670-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi Halpern
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Empathy

Psychoanalytic Contributions to Psychotherapy: Clinical Empathy

1989 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 775-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Berger
Keyword(s):  
Human Condition ◽  
Central Issue ◽  
Clinical Empathy ◽  
Significant Patterns ◽  
The Human Condition

The concept of empathy has become a central issue in the debate between classical psychoanalysts and self psychologists. If one recognizes that dilemma is central to the human condition and that the two competing schools of psychoanalysis emphasize opposite sides of several parameters that are fraught with dilemma, it is possible to view them both as empathic. Three levels of empathy are discussed: empathizing with the patient's story as it stands; discovering new themes hidden away in the patient's narrative; and discovering significant patterns in the patient-therapist relationship itself. The concept of therapy as a self-correcting process that approaches but never quite attains objective accuracy is emphasized.

scholarly journals Defining clinical empathy: a grounded theory approach from the perspective of healthcare workers and patients in a multicultural setting

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e045224
Author(s):  
Laurence Tan ◽  
Mai Khanh Le ◽  
Chou Chuen Yu ◽  
Sok Ying Liaw ◽  
Tanya Tierney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Clinical Empathy ◽  
Emotional Detachment ◽  
Multicultural Setting ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

ObjectiveTo define clinical empathy from the perspective of healthcare workers and patients from a multicultural setting.DesignGrounded theory approach using focus group discussions.SettingA health cluster in Singapore consisting of an acute hospital, a community hospital, ambulatory care teams, a medical school and a nursing school.Participants69 participants including doctors, nurses, medical students, nursing students, patients and allied health workers.Main outcome measuresA robust definition of clinical empathy.ResultsThe construct of clinical empathy is consistent across doctors, nurses, students, allied health and students. Medical empathy consists of an inner sense of empathy (imaginative, affective and cognitive), empathy behaviour (genuine concern and empathic communication) and a sense of connection (trust and rapport). This construct of clinical empathy is similar to definitions by neuroscientists but challenges a common definition of clinical empathy as a cognitive process with emotional detachment.ConclusionsThis paper has defined clinical empathy as ‘a sense of connection between the healthcare worker and the patient as a result of perspective taking arising from imaginative, affective and cognitive processes, which are expressed through behaviours and good communication skills that convey genuine concern’. A clear and multidimensional definition of clinical empathy will improve future education and research efforts in the application and impact of clinical empathy.

scholarly journals The Direct and Indirect Effects of Clinical Empathy on Well-Being among Pre-Medical Students: A Structural Equation Model Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly MacArthur ◽  
Clare Stacey ◽  
Sarah Harvey ◽  
Jonathan Markle
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Compassionate Care ◽  
Clinical Empathy

Abstract Background: Empathy is a well-established facet of clinical competency that research suggests is associated with enhanced medical student well-being. Since little is known about empathy and well-being before students enter medical school—during pre-medical education—the main goal of this study is to test a conceptual model of how clinical empathy is related to two indicators of well-being, depression, and burnout among pre-medical students. The theoretical model hypothesizes that three dimensions of clinical empathy—Perspective-Taking, Compassionate Care, and Standing in Patients’ Shoes— will be directly and negatively related to depression, as well as indirectly through its inverse relationship with three facets of burnout, Emotional Exhaustion, Poor Academic Efficacy, and Cynicism. Methods: Using survey data from a sample of 132 pre-medical students at an American Midwestern university, this study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the theoretical model of the relationships between empathy, burnout, and depression among pre-medical students. We identify the direct effects of the three dimensions of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSE-S) on depression (CES-D), as well as the indirect effects of clinical empathy on depression through the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-S). Results: SEM analyses show that while none of the three dimensions of the JSE-S are directly related to depression, clinical empathy does significantly affect depression indirectly through burnout. Specifically, as predicted, we find that Perspective-Taking decreases Emotional Exhaustion, but, contrary to expectations, Compassionate Care increases it. And, the positive relationship between Compassionate Care and Emotional Exhaustion is particularly strong. In turn, Perspective-Taking and Compassionate Care are associated with depression in opposite directions and to different degrees. Conclusions: Findings suggest that clinical empathy as measured by the JSE-S produces both positive and negative effects on personal well-being. We conclude that further conceptual clarity of clinical empathy is needed to better discern how the different dimensions impact different indicators of well-being. Given that pre-medical education is a crucial time for emotional socialization, the challenge for medical education will be fostering the positive, cognitive aspects of clinical empathy while simultaneously mitigating the adverse effects of affective empathy on medical student well-being.

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