Empathy: towards a conceptual framework for health professionals

Abstract

Effective provider-patient communication and the relationships that it supports are located at the centre of quality health-care delivery. The patient-centred approach is increasingly seen as an effective way to provide effective patient care, being more sensitive and responsive to the needs of the individual. Empathy has been identified as a core component of "patient-centredness" but definitions often lack conceptual clarity. This paper proposes to clarify the definition of empathy keeping the discussion true to Rogers' original definitions of the concept whilst integrating the work of other writers. A major thrust is the development of an innovative conceptual model of empathy which has the potential to both integrate previous research findings and provide a framework for future research and training. The model is based in social psychological conceptions of attitude.

Empathy, sympathy and compassion in healthcare: Is there a problem? Is there a difference? Does it matter?

“…Irving's three-dimensional model of empathy proposes that the doctor has to understand the patient's world (cognitive), feel with the patient (affective) and communicate this understanding with the patient (behavioural) 33 Derksen et al 34 conceptualise the three-dimensional model of empathy as comprising attitude (affective), competency (cognitive) and skill (behaviour). Coplan defines empathy as: 'Empathy is a complex imaginative process in which an observer simulates another person's situated psychological state (both cognitive and affective) while maintaining a clear self-other differentiation'.…”

The Association between Communication, Customer Relationship Management and Organisational Performance: Evidence from the Saudi Arabia Hospitals

“…In addition, employees working in hospitals whether hospital managers, heads of departments, doctors, nurses, admin personal seem to agree that communication among employees from different departments lead to faster and more efficient services which will in turn increase the satisfaction of patients (Friedman & Kelman, 2007). this context, Irving and Dickson (2004) argue that there is evidence that communication challenges may result in increased use of expensive diagnostic tests, increased use of emergency services and decreased use of primary care services, and poor or no patient follow-up when such follow-up is indicated. argues that effective communication among workplace colleagues within a hospital makes the tasks easier as the employees work together towards a common shared task; thus, one individual is not solely responsible for any job.…”

Professional Writers and Empathy: Exploring the Barriers to Anticipating Reader Problems

“…In the medical literature, a distinction is made between the mental state of empathy and the expression of empathy in doctor-patient communication, suggesting that it is possible to empathize with patients without convincingly expressing it [12]. Communication skills serve as a mediating or moderating factor in the relationship between the doctor's empathic state of mind and the patients' experience of empathy.…”

“…Most notably in the medical sciences, empathy is often addressed as a key factor in developing patient-centered and patient-friendly health care [12]. The awareness has grown that traditional curricula do not promote empathy among medical students [16,17].…”