title: Residents' and standardized patients' perspectives on empathy: issues of agreement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated correlations between residents' scores on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), residents' perceptions of their empathy during standardized-patient encounters, and the perceptions of standardized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 214 first-year residents in internal medicine or family medicine from 13 residency programs taking standardized patient-based clinical skills assessment in 2011. We analyzed correlations between residents' JSE scores; standardized patients' perspectives on residents' empathy during OSCE encounters, using the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy; and residents' perspectives on their own empathy, using a modified version of this scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Residents' JSE scores correlated with their perceptions of their own empathy during encounters but correlated poorly with patients' assessments of resident empathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The poor correlation between residents' and standardized patients' assessments of residents' empathy raises questions about residents' abilities to gauge the effectiveness of their empathic communications. The study also points to a lack of congruence between the assessment of empathy by standardized patients and residents as receivers and conveyors of empathy, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study adds to the literature on empathy as a teachable skill set and raises questions about use of OSCEs to assess trainee empathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; Foundation for International Advancement of Medical Education and Research, Ceará, Brazil. Electronic address: sgrosseman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Suely
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grosseman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Novack
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duke
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, USA; Mennin Consulting & Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, USA.
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mennin
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosenzweig
authors.affiliation: Office of Educational Affairs, Clinical Education Assessment Center, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Tiffany J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, USA; Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hojat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004645:Empathy; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians
keywords: Communication skills; Doctor–patient relationships; Medical education; Medical education – assessment/evaluation, clinical skills assessment; Medical education – attitudes and psychosocial patient satisfaction; Medical education – graduate medical education