Empathy in Iranian medical students: A preliminary psychometric analysis and differences by gender and year of medical school.
Med Teach
; 32(11): e471-8, 2010.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21039088
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
It has been well documented that effective empathic communication in the context of patient care is associated with improved health care outcomes. However, the emphasis given to empathy in medical education in Iran is limited, and the state of such teaching is unknown in many countries.AIMS:
To determine the psychometric properties of an Iranian translation of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) among medical students, and to examine the differences on mean empathy scores by gender and the different years of medical school.METHOD:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students. Data analysis was based on 181 questionnaires. Principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was used to identify the number and composition of components constituting the developed constructs.RESULTS:
The PCA yielded three factors Compassionate care, perspective-taking, and the ability to walk in the patient's shoes. No statistically significant differences in the empathy means scores were found by gender and the different years of medical school.CONCLUSIONS:
The Persian version of JSPE is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure empathy. Cultural backgrounds and pedagogical practice may influence medical students' attitudes towards empathy. Some recommendations are made, and the study limitations are discussed.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Psicometria
/
Estudantes de Medicina
/
Inquéritos e Questionários
/
Empatia
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Teach
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Irã