The Impact of Empathy Training Workshops on Empathic Practice of Family Physicians of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Empathy is a component of patient care. There is general agreement that empathy is crucial in physician-patient relationship and thus an important issue in medical education. We tested whether an empathy training workshop for family physicians could improve their empathic practice rated by patients. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study and was performed in 2010 in Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. All 20 family physicians in Jahrom were included and divided randomly into two equal groups. To evaluate the practice of family physicians, we assessed their practice through their patients. Five patients from each doctor (using convenient sampling) were polled (total of 100 patients in pre-test and 100 patients in post-test) . Baseline emphatic practice of each doctor was assessed using Jefferson Scale of Patient’s Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE). Then, one group of doctors participated in the empathy skills workshop, while the other group did not. One month after the workshop, empathic practice of both groups of doctors was re-assessed. The scores of both groups before and after the communication skills workshop were compared. Results: The mean scores of emphatic practice of both groups before the workshop (1.85±0.2, 1.83±0.39, out of 5) were compared and the results showed that there was no significant difference between them (p=0.673, t=0.423). There was a significant difference between the mean score of empathic practice in experimental group (2.95±0.45) compared to the control (1.82±0.33) in post-test measurement (p<0.000, t=14.19). Conclusion: Our training intervention was effective in producing a significant change in family physician's empathic practice as well as the patient's satisfaction. Empathy is a skill that can be acquired by practice.