Impact of clinical interview training on the empathy level of medical students and medical residents.
BACKGROUND
Empathy is a skill that can be acquired by practise and should become a habit.


OBJECTIVE
Assess the impact of a communication skills workshop on the empathy level of medical students and medical residents.


METHODS
Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study. Empathy level was assessed in 203 subjects using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE), divided in two groups: one control group, and other experimental group that participated in an activity consisting of a 25-hour theoretical/practical workshop on communication and empathy.


RESULTS
The mean pre-workshop JSPE score was similar in both groups. Post-workshop JSPE score increased 5.24 points (95 CI 3.82-7.09) (P<0.0001) in the experimental group, improving in 68.9% of participants. No significant increase in JSPE score after the second assessment was observed in the controls. For this difference the estimated effect size was 0.78.


CONCLUSIONS
A communication skills workshop yields a slight improvement of crucial practice importance in subjects' empathy.
Fernndez-Olano
Clotilde
C
University of Castilla-La, Mancha, Spain.
Montoya-Fernndez
Julio
J
Salinas-Snchez
Antonio S
AS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004493:Education; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013030:Spain; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires