title: Psychosocial predictors of attitudes toward physician empathy in clinical encounters among 4732 1st year medical students: a report from the CHANGES study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Medical school curricula intended to promote empathy varies widely. Even the most effective curricula leave a significant group of students untouched. Pre-existing student factors influence their response to learning experiences. We examined the individual predictors of first semester medical students' attitudes toward the value of physician empathy in clinical encounters.
  
  
  METHODS
  First year students (n=4732) attending a stratified random sample of 49 US medical schools completed an online questionnaire that included measures of dispositional characteristics, attitudes and beliefs, self-concept and well-being.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Discomfort with uncertainty, close-mindedness, dispositional empathy, elitism, medical authoritarianism, egalitarianism, self-concept and well-being all independently predicted first year medical students' attitudes toward the benefit of physician empathy in clinical encounters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Students vary on their attitude toward the value of physician empathy when they start medical school. The individual factors that predict their attitudes toward empathy may also influence their response to curricula promoting empathic care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Curricula in medical school promoting empathic care may be more universally effective if students' preexisting attitudes are taken into account. Messages about the importance of physician empathy may need to be framed in ways that are consistent with the beliefs and prior world-views of medical students.
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA. Electronic address: vanryn.michelle@mayo.edu.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: van Ryn
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Rachel R
authors: RR
authors: Hardeman
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Sean M
authors: SM
authors: Phelan
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Sara E
authors: SE
authors: Burke
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Przedworski
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Michele L
authors: ML
authors: Allen
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Diana J
authors: DJ
authors: Burgess
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Ridgeway
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: Richard O
authors: RO
authors: White
authors: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA.
authors: John F
authors: JF
authors: Dovidio
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Empathy; Medical education; Medical students; Patient-centered care