A systematic scoping review of approaches to teaching and assessing empathy in medicine

Zhou, Yi; Tan, Shien Ru; Tan, Chester Guan Hao; Ng, Matthew Song Peng; Lim, Kia Hui; Tan, Lorraine Hui En; Ong, Yun Ting; Cheong, Clarissa Wei Shuen; Chin, Annelissa; Chiam, Min; Chia, Elisha Wan Ying; Lim, Crystal; Wijaya, Limin; Chowdhury, Anupama Roy; Kwek, Jin Wei; Fong, Warren; Somasundaram, Nagavalli; Ong, Eng Koon; Mason, Stephen; Krishna, Lalit Kumar Radha

doi:10.1186/s12909-021-02697-6

Cited by 55 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 142 publications

(362 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Yet, developing empathy in Public Health students is rarely discussed. Literature on teaching empathy to students in other fields, typically in the nursing and medical fields, suggests that experiential learning is the most effective way to develop empathy through education, with case-based learning, interviews, role-playing, community engagement and practical placement increasing students’ abilities to understand and consider the perspectives of others [ 23 ].This type of learning is relatively uncommon in post graduate public health programs, despite much of public health work being based in the field [ 22 ]. Although students in this course were introduced to different tools to conduct the empathy stage and encouraged to use them during the assignment, not all teams were able to apply these skills and practice empathizing with their users.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching design thinking as a tool to address complex public health challenges in public health students: a case study

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Developing a public health workforce that can understand problems from a population perspective is essential in the design of impactful user-centred responses to current population health challenges. Design Thinking, a user-driven process for problem-defining and solution-finding, not only has utility in the field of public health but stands as a potential mechanism for developing critical skills -such as empathy, creativity and innovation- amongst future professionals. Though the literature reflects the use of DT across many health sciences disciplines, less research has been published on how students apply learned concepts using real-world challenges of their choice and what difficulties they face during the process. Methods This case study evaluates achieved learning outcomes after the introduction of a design thinking block into post-graduate public health curriculum at the University College Dublin. Two independent assessors evaluated student learning outcomes and observed difficulties during the process by assessing group presentations to identify and understand any learning difficulties using an ad-hoc designed tool. The tool consisted of twelve items scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Student feedback, in the form of an online survey, was also analysed to determine their level of enjoyment, perceived learning outcomes and opinions on the course content. Results The assessors evaluated thirteen DT group presentations and reports from 50 students. The groups chose a range of topics from socialization of college students during Covid-19 to mental health challenges in a low-income country. Independent assessment of assignments revealed that the highest scores were reached by groups who explored a challenge relevant to their own lives (more than 80% of total possible points versus 60% class average). The groups that explored challenges more distant to themselves struggled with problem finding with a mean score of 2.05 (SD ± 1.2) out of 5 in that domain. The greatest difficulties were observed in problem finding and ideation. Though most students found the design thinking block enjoyable and relevant to their education, they recommended that the DT block be a stand-alone module. Students recognized that groups who chose a familiar topic experienced fewer difficulties throughout the process. Conclusion The study showed that DT learning outcomes were best achieved when students focused on challenges, they had either personally experienced or were familiar with. These findings provide insight for future iterations of DT workshops and support the teaching of user-centred approaches to future public health practitioners.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching design thinking as a tool to address complex public health challenges in public health students: a case study

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Researchers believed that medical staff with high empathy ability were of great benefit to patients' physical and mental health ( 12 , 13 ). In addition, in medical school, the cultivation and assessment of students' empathy ability have become the norm ( 14 ). This shows that medical educators have realized the importance of the empathy ability of medical staff.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Social Workers' Empathy Ability on Suicidal Ideation of Cancer Patients

Yang

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe nursing goal of patients with cancer is to provide them with holistic care, including physical, psychological, and social adaptation, and spirituality. This research aimed to explore the influence of the social workers' empathy ability on suicidal ideation of patients with cancer and its path.MethodsThere was a sum of 358 patients with cancer and the 45 social workers serving them participated in the survey. Data of their self-efficacy, depression symptom, stigma, and suicidal ideation were measured before the social work provided (T1) and 3 months after the social work finished (T2) were collected and compared. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between social workers' empathy ability and patient indicators at T2. The influence path of social workers' empathy ability on cancer patients' suicidal ideation was explored by path analysis at T2.ResultsAt T2, patients reported higher self-efficacy and lower depression symptoms, stigma, and suicidal ideation than at T1. At T2, social workers' empathy ability was positively related to patients' self-efficacy and was negatively related to depression symptoms, stigma, and suicidal ideation. Social workers' empathy ability affected patients' suicidal ideation directly. In addition, patients' self-efficacy, depression symptoms, and stigma played mediating roles in the influence of social workers' empathy abilities on their suicidal ideation.ConclusionSocial workers' empathy ability not only directly affected cancer patients' suicide ideation but also affected suicide ideation through the mediating roles of self-efficacy, depression symptoms, and stigma. Therefore, the improvement of the empathy ability of medical social workers needs to be paid attention to.

show abstract

“…Patient-centered health services have resulted in a shift in medical education emphasizing teaching professionalism, including empathy [7]- [9]. Several things are used to develop empathy learning, such as exploring conditions, perceptions/ideas, and patient expectations [10]. These principles are then used as the basis for designing learning activities and examinations/assessments of empathy competencies for medical students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning of empathy among first-year medical students

Hermasari

Nugroho

2022

IJERE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Empathy is one of the core competencies that doctors must possess. Teaching empathy is carried out since students are in undergraduate medical education. One of the learning activities that can be used to improve empathy skills is reflection. Many studies have reported on the empathic abilities of medical students. In addition, there have also been many scientific articles discussing the factors that affect the ability of empathy. However, how medical students learn empathy is still unclear, especially for first-year students who have just been exposed to medical science after graduating from high school. This study aimed to understand how first-year medical students learn empathy. A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was carried out. We selected randomly, a total of 30 medical student reflection journals were analyzed using content analysis techniques. There are three themes, namely stimulus, process, and effect. Medical students learn empathy driven by internal and external stimuli so that a thinking process occurs through several learning activities. The existence of this stimulus and process influences both the self and the patient/client. The whole process of empathy learning can show how early-year students learn and the factors that influence student empathy learning. This study supports other research that discusses the learning process and factors that affect medical students' empathy. This result can encourage curriculum planners to design appropriate empathy learning for students.

show abstract

A systematic scoping review of approaches to teaching and assessing empathy in medicine

Cited by 55 publications

References 142 publications

Teaching design thinking as a tool to address complex public health challenges in public health students: a case study

Teaching design thinking as a tool to address complex public health challenges in public health students: a case study

Influence of Social Workers' Empathy Ability on Suicidal Ideation of Cancer Patients

Learning of empathy among first-year medical students

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About