Empathic Communication Skill Training in Medical Education

Abstract

Empathy plays an essential role in communication between doctor and patient, which can facilitate treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to develop communication and empathic skills of medical students through experiential role-playing at the Medical School. This study focuses on methods improving the empathy of medical students in doctor (student)-patient (actor) simulated role-plays. The purpose of our research was to identify factors that promote the development and expression of empathy in medical encounters. We aim to investigate the language of clinical empathy: how medical students can use the language to build empathetic communication. The authentic case-based roleplays provide sociolinguistic tools for interactions and for expressing empathy as well as reassuring the patient's emotions. Our study demonstrates how empathic communication skills form a more effective doctor-patient relationship, leading to greater patient satisfaction and better patient compliance.