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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Compassion or empathy? A way forward to reduce GP stress and burnoutRE: Compassion or empathy? A way forward to reduce GP stress and burnoutIt was interesting to read the article by Thakur in your April issue.1 It is heartening to know that there is scientific evidence to support the possibility that even innate inter-personal skills can be taught to others.2It is high time the active development of soft skills such as empathy and compassion was identified as a priority by medical schools and became an integral part of undergraduate curricula. Indeed that is already evident across universities to variable extents, as students receive lectures on issues related to compassion, altruism and respect for patients.3The question of how empathy and compassion should be taught and developed in medical students is of vital importance. Besides devising ways of vertical transfer of these skills, the value of active observation on the part of students should also be emphasised. A recent cohort study involving medical students in Sydney highlighted the value of exemplary role models in shaping medical students’ behaviours and aspirations. Focus groups of medical students attributed significance to the demonstration of compassionate behaviour by clinicians in influencing their future practice.4 Another systematic review found that positive role models’ scientific achievements were considered among their least important attributes, and negative role models were considered uncaring towards pati...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.
- Page navigation anchor for RE: Empathy-an important professional skill to improve patients and doctors satisfactionRE: Empathy-an important professional skill to improve patients and doctors satisfactionI entirely agree with Manohar Thakur, that neither compassion nor empathy can be switched on , but needs to be learned in an appropriate teaching environment.Empathy is an essential part of the essence of being a good doctor and should be one of his reliable professional skills, which acknowledge patients emotional needs as a core aspect of illness and care.Empathy is essential to patient care, as it is associated with better treatment adherence through improved patient-doctor communication and trust, improved patient satisfaction, lower litigation rate and better clinical outcome.1-5Practicing empathy within the consultation can provide the doctor with professional satisfaction.Doctors wellness, which is improved by giving attention to health and happiness through sports, hobbies spiritual activity and even through meditation as mentioned in the article, will improve the physician empathy and therefore will directly benefit the patient.6Clinical empathy is for quite some time a learning objective for American medical students and part of their undergraduate training and is regarded as an important part of learning professionalism within the medical curriculum.7-9Unfortunately ...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.