title: Medical Humanities Coursework Is Associated with Greater Measured Empathy in Medical Students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary focus of the study was to determine whether coursework in the medical humanities would ameliorate students' loss of and failure to develop empathy, a problem known to be common during medical education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students were offered an elective course in the Medical Humanities for academic credit. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy Student Version (JSE-S) was administered at the beginning and end of an academic year in which humanities courses were offered. Changes in JSE-S scores among students who studied Medical Humanities were compared with changes in student who did not take any humanities coursework.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Medical humanities coursework correlated with superior empathy outcomes among the medical students. Of students not enrolled in humanities courses, 71% declined or failed to increase in JSE-S score over the academic year. Of those who took humanities coursework, 46% declined or failed to increase in JSE-S scores. The difference was statistically significant (P = .03). The medical humanities curriculum correlated with favorable empathy outcomes as measured by the JSE-S.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elective medical humanities coursework correlated with improved empathy score outcomes in a group of US medical students. This may reflect a direct effect of the humanities coursework. Alternately, students' elective choice to take medical humanities coursework may be a marker for students with a propensity to favorable empathy outcomes.
authors: Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane. Electronic address: jeremy.graham@wsu.edu.
authors: Jeremy
authors: J
authors: Graham
authors: Providence Internal Medicine Residency Spokane, Wash.
authors: Lauren M
authors: LM
authors: Benson
authors: Providence Internal Medicine Residency Spokane, Wash.
authors: Judy
authors: J
authors: Swanson
authors: University of Washington School of Medicine.
authors: Darryl
authors: D
authors: Potyk
authors: College of Nursing, Washington State University Spokane.
authors: Kenn
authors: K
authors: Daratha
authors: Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane.
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Roberts
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum / Q000639:trends; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000639:trends*; D004645:Empathy; D006809:Humanities / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States
keywords: Curriculum innovations; Empathy; Medical humanities