Medical students' empathy and its effect on the physicianpatient relationship

Abstract

Purpose: Recent studies have emphasized the importance of empathy in the physician-patient relationship (PPR). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between empathy scores, as measured by the student version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Korean edition (JSE-S-K), and PPR scores on the clinical performance examination (CPX). Methods: The sample comprised 104 third-year medical students. Prior to undertaking 12 cases on the CPX, the students completed the JSE-S-K and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. We analyzed the differences in empathy and PPR scores according to their sociodemographic characteristics and personality types and verified the link between empathy and PPR scores by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Results: PPR scores were positively associated with total JSE-S-K scores (r=0.232, p<0.05) and its affective domain scores (r=0.229, p<0.05). Education program (undergraduate or graduate entry) and empathy score were the best predictors of PPR score (R2=0.153). Conclusion: The positive association between empathy and PPR scores suggests that empathy is an important factor that influences the PPR.