A Longitudinal Study of Empathy Among Students at Two Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs.

Autor: Driscoll, Laura, Starr, Julie Ann, Holmes, Mary Beth, Murphy, Elizabeth
Zdroj: Journal of Allied Health; Spring2022, Vol. 51 Issue 1, pe27-e32, 6p
Abstrakt: Empathy, when demonstrated by health care providers, results in improved patient compliance and enhanced patient outcomes. Yet, self-reported empathy has been shown to decrease in health care professional students during their course of study. Possible reasons for this decrease in empathy have included the type of curriculum of the professional program, participation in clinical experiences, the movement from idealism to realism, and student distress. This current study using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy--Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS) demonstrated that Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, from two DPT programs, showed an increase in their self-reported levels of empathy over the course of their professional education. These students were surveyed before and after clinical experiences and represented two pedagogically different DPT programs. These data suggest that DPT students may differ from the trends found in other healthcare domains. Instead of developing interventions to improve student empathy, as has been suggested, educational time may be better spent helping these DPT students protect and utilize their current levels of empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Supplemental Index