As per an international media outlet, empathy is associated with reduced patient pain, increased patient satisfaction and also prevents doctor burnout.
With ongoing discussions around Chat GTP clearing medical exams, questions are being raised if the smart chat-box could become future of diagnosis. The artificial intelligence tool might qualify in the accuracy and the medical terminology while giving a possible diagnosis, however, it can’t replace an inevitable quality associated with healthcare and that is a sense of compassion and empathy. Many have been reporting a decreasing level of empathy among doctors over a period of time. While this might not sound like an issue that requires immediate attention but studies have shown that it can affect the quality of patient care in a huge way.
Empathy is a core skill that medical students are required to develop and feel. However, with increasing patient load and long working hours, the effect of this emotion might get diminished with time. This article will ponder upon the various causes that might result in reduced empathy among healthcare practitioners.
Why empathy matters in healthcare?
As per an international media outlet, empathy is associated with reduced patient pain, increased patient satisfaction and also prevents doctor burnout. Studies have found that empathy changes during the course of medical school. The change in levels of compassion and empathy is observed in the transition of medical students from a lecture- based model to the second phase of medical school which is more clinical and patient-oriented.
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The stressful workload might also promote in medical students a tendency to become emotionally distanced and desensitized. As per the WHO, an overly demanding pace of work is exhausting and health professionals simply do not have the emotional energy to demonstrate empathy. Students balancing heavy course loads and mastering clinical skills find it difficult to express empathy in their interactions with patients. A similar decline in empathy has been observed among nursing staff as well.
Burnout and patient behaviour
As per WHO, burnout is a syndrome of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a sense of low personal accomplishment that leads to decreased effectiveness at work. Studies have found a connection between burnout and empathy. Lack of sleep and heavy workload often results in a loss of empathy among medical students. Evidence also suggests that the response of healthcare professionals varies according to the type of emotion that is expressed by patients. Studies have found that medical students had reduced empathy for patients whose behaviour was judged as demanding, difficult, hostile, insulting, unappreciative. It has also been found that patients’ expressions of grief and family strain are more likely to induce an empathetic response than the response generated by patients who are angry or distrustful of their doctors.
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