Empathy and the clinical teacher

Empathy and the clinical teacher Everyone seems to be talking or writing about empathy. There is general consensus that good clinicians demonstrate it, and that we should help students and trainees to develop it. 1 There is also an increasing understanding of the underlying social psychological and neurobiological mechanisms; 2,3 however, although over a hundred years have passed since Tichener introduced ‘empathy’ into the English language, we still lack a common understanding of the concept and its implications for clinical teaching. 1,4 In this issue, Walsh and colleagues report that most patients, when asked by medical students, ‘What kind of doctor would you like me to be if you came to me with an illness?’, emphasised ‘personal qualities’, including empathy and also communication skills. 5 A minority emphasised knowledge and intelligence, but none emphasised manual skills. A recent systematic review in general practice (family medicine) found that increased empathy in doctors seems to lower patient anxiety and distress, improve patient satisfaction and enablement (confi dence and ability to cope with life and illness), and improve clinical outcomes such as diabetic control. 4 The authors described empathy as the ability of a doctor, ‘To understand the patient ’ s situation, perspective and feelings; to communicate that understanding and check its accuracy; and to act on that understanding in a helpful therapeutic way’. 4