Are perspective‐taking outcomes always positive? Challenges and mitigation strategies

Abstract

Background: Engaging in perspective-taking often has positive outcomes for both healthcare providers and patients. Perspective-taking by healthcare providers has been linked to increased patient satisfaction and compliance, patients' positive perceptions of healthcare providers' interpersonal skills, and a reduction in judgmental attitudes toward individuals who engage in health-risk behaviors. The positive outcomes that are associated with perspective-taking are often highlighted in the literature. However, less discussed are the negative outcomes.Aim: This paper discusses the positive and negative outcomes associated with perspective-taking and presents potential methods for mitigating negative outcomes.Conclusion: When designing and implementing perspective-taking interventions, educators and researchers should consider potential negative intervention outcomes and strategies to attenuate these outcomes. K E Y W O R D S communication, education, empathy, nurse-patient relations, perspective-taking AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES Lisa Hoplock, PhD, was a postdoctoral fellow at

Perceptions of an evidence-based empathy mobile app in post-secondary education

“…Cognitive empathy (also known as perspective-taking) involves understanding a person’s perspective from that person’s point of view (Lobchuk et al 2016 ). Although engaging in cognitive empathy does not always result in positive outcomes (e.g., people can arrive at a negative self-view when self-reflecting; Hoplock and Lobchuk 2019 ; Vorauer 2013 ), it has been linked to positive outcomes such as increased patient compliance and satisfaction within healthcare (Kim et al 2004 ), engaging in prosocial behavior (Davis 2015 ), team effectiveness, and engaging in high quality communication (Parker et al 2008 ). People vary in their ability to engage in cognitive empathy, but fortunately, it is a skill that can be taught (e.g., Brunero et al 2010 ; Richardson et al 2015 ; Teding van Berkhout and Malouff 2016 ).…”