title: The role of empathy in therapy and the physician-patient relationship.
abstract: This paper seeks to give an overview of the role of clinical empathy in therapy and in the physician-patient relationship. Researchers have offered definitions of empathy in the clinical context, and a number of validated measures exist. There is evidence from the health-related research literature to support the positive association of clinical empathy with improved therapeutic outcomes in a wide range of clinical settings. Clinical empathy is also understood to be a crucial component of the physician-patient therapeutic relationship. Barriers to the development and expression of empathy in the clinical context are explored, and ways of enhancing empathy discussed.
authors.affiliation: General Practice and Primary Care, Institute of Health and Well Being, University of Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Bhautesh Dinesh
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Jani
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Blane
authors.forename: Stewart W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Mercer
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires