title: [The medical empathy, is it born or is it made? Evolution of the empathy in medical students].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Empathy is one of the basic skills in medicine that promotes better doctor-patient relationship, best professional competition and less professional stress. We don't found studies in our area. This study aims to measure the degree of empathy in medical students in our area and associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida (Spain).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pass in class of 1st, 3rd and second cycle of Medicine, at 191 students. 173 students (90%) completed the questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  TECA questionnaire to measure general empathy with 4 subscales (empathic understanding, perspective taking, empathic happiness and empathic stress), and a sociodemographic questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a progression in empathy during medical courses. Women have greater empathy but also increased empathic stress. Men have less general empathy, less progression of empathy and less emphatic stress. Students that show a preference to House TV movie have less empathy and those with family doctors. Voluntary students have greater empathy and those who have had a sick friend. We don't have found relationship between empathy and preferred specialty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are several variables that are related to empathy in medical students: Women, advanced courses, experiences close to serious illnesses and those involved in voluntary activities.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida-IRB Lleida, Lleida, España; Institut Borja de Bioètica, Esplugues, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: mesquerda@cirurgia.udl.cat.
authors.forename: Montse
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esquerda
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida-IRB Lleida, Lleida, España; Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Lleida, España.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yuguero
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida-IRB Lleida, Lleida, España; Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Lleida, España.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Viñas
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida-IRB Lleida, Lleida, España; Departament de Salut, Lleida, España.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pifarré
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013030:Spain; D013337:Students, Medical
keywords: Educación médica; Empathy; Empatía; Estudiantes de medicina; Medical education; Medical students; Physician-patient relations; Relación médico-paciente