Health Empathy Map: Creation of an Instrument for Empathy Development

Abstract

Introduction: Empathy is a multidimensional construct that requires the ability to perceive and understand the others’ perspectives, as well as feel their emotional state. It is an intellectual skill to be learned and represents one of the domains of emotional intelligence. The aim of this study was to create an instrument for the teaching and practice of empathy skills in medical education scenarios, called the “Health Empathy Map” (HEM). Method: This is a qualitative and descriptive study, aimed at developing the Health Empathy Map. The study had 3 phases: (1) Adaptation of the empathy map for medical education scenarios (2) Adequacy of the instrument content performed by teachers from the Outpatient Clinic of José do Rosário Vellano University, during teacher training (3) Assessment of content and feasibility of the instrument, first performed using the focal group technique and then by third-year medical students during outpatient clinic practice and in the tutorial group. Results: The adequacy of the instrument for medical education teaching scenarios was based on conceptual aspects of empathy: perspective-taking, emotional sharing and empathetic concern, as well as suggestions from the outpatient clinic teachers, focal group participants and medical students. All suggestions were debated and accepted, after a consensus that indicated advances and improvements of the instrument, in order to allow its use by students in health learning scenarios. Conclusion: The final version of the HEM was considered by participants of different phases of the study, as an educational instrument with great instructional potential, in terms of stimulating the development of empathy, with a broad use in medical education scenarios.

Perspectivas de estudantes de Medicina sobre a própria formação e competências para trabalhar com populações indígenas

“…A empatia diz respeito à habilidade que, por meio da perspectiva do outro, permite a compreensão do seu estado físico e mental. Ela também é uma competência clínica indispensável para a prática médica, pois colocar-se no lugar dos pacientes e dividir seus sentimentos resulta em uma melhor e mais efetiva relação médico-paciente 25 .…”