Developing self-empathy in medical students and physicians to improve patient outcomes

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. The noble calling of medicine attracts men and women who want to help others, and who are well-aware that they will be faced, from their earliest days of training, with patients' illness, pain and suffering. Compassion, and what is also sometimes called empathy, is the basis for humanistic, patient-centered care. Today we are experiencing a crisis of burnout among medical students and compassion-fatigue among physicians, which results in emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, leading to decreased compassion and empathy with diminished quality of care for patients. Studies have shown that a steep decline in empathy, as measured by the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy and other instruments, occurs with greatest frequency in the clinical experience years of medical students. What can ensue are feelings of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion and decreased effectiveness that can lead to depression, anxiety, and even an increased risk of suicide. To counter this alarming trend, the authors introduce the concept of self-empathy, which is new in the context of medical education. This is a way to develop empathy for others, thereby improving the well-being of medical students and practitioners, so that they can better care for their patients. It is critical that the study and practice of self-empathy be integrated into medical school curricula and in continuing education for physicians so that it becomes part of their day-to-day life.