ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the association between empathy and residents' clinical performance and investigate whether work-related perception mediates this relationship. METHODS: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted, including 1160 residents from 10 cities in Liaoning Province between March and October 2020. The participants completed various self-reported questionnaires regarding demographic characteristics, work-related perceptions, self-perceived clinical performance, and empathy. The relationships among empathy, work-related perception, and self-perceived clinical performance were examined using a structural equation model (SEM). RESULTS: Of the 1160 residents, 961 (82.8 %) completed the questionnaires. The SEM path analysis showed that the direct effect of empathy on self-perceived clinical performance was significant and positive (ß = 0.34, P < 0.001). There existed significant effects of empathy on work-related perception (ß = 0.26, P < 0.001) and work-related perception on performance (ß = 0.31, P < 0.001). The path coefficients of empathy concerning self-perceived clinical performance decreased significantly (ß = 0.26, P < 0.001) when work-related perception was modeled as a mediator. The bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap test revealed that work-related perception significantly mediated the relationship between empathy and self-perceived clinical performance (a*b = 0.08, BCa 95 % CI: 0.05-0.13). However, the correlation between the sub-scales of empathy and the items of self-perceived clinical performance was not substantial, even if most of them were statistically significant. The final SEM produced a good fit to the sample data, with CMIN/DF = 2.07 (P < 0.001), CFI = 0.99, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.98, NFI = 0.97, RMSEA (90 % CI) = 0.033 (0.017, 0.049), and SRMR = 0.024. CONCLUSION: Empathy might significantly affect self-perceived clinical performance both directly and indirectly through the mediating role of work-related perception. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Efforts to improve clinical performance among residents might benefit from interventions for cultivating empathy and practices for improving work-related perceptions of residents.