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Empathy levels in undergraduate paramedic students: A three-year longitudinal study
Brett Williams1, Malcolm Boyle1, Stuart Howard1
1Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Nurse Education in Practice
|October 7, 2015
Summary
Paramedic students show lower empathy than other healthcare students. This study measured empathy in undergraduate paramedic students over three years, finding lower scores compared to existing literature.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Healthcare Professionalism
- Psychology
Background:
- Empathetic behavior is crucial for healthcare professionals, enhancing patient compliance, satisfaction, diagnostic accuracy, and reducing clinical errors.
- Paramedic students often exhibit lower empathy levels compared to other healthcare trainees.
- Understanding empathy levels in paramedic students is vital for improving patient care and educational strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the level of empathy among undergraduate paramedic students.
- To examine changes in empathy over a three-year period in this student cohort.
- To compare empathy scores of paramedic students with those reported in existing literature.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was utilized.
- Convenience sampling included first, second, and third-year undergraduate paramedic students at a single tertiary institution.
- The Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Student version (JSE-HPS) was employed for data collection.
Main Results:
- A total of 552 students participated, with a mean overall JSE-HPS score of 108.60 (SD=12.50).
- Female students reported significantly higher empathy scores (110.27) than male students (105.36).
- A significant increase in empathy scores was observed between the 2008 (106.32) and 2009 (110.18) cohorts (p=0.03).
Conclusions:
- Paramedic students' empathy levels appear lower than those reported for other healthcare students in the literature.
- Findings suggest potential areas for curriculum development to enhance empathy in paramedic education.
- Further research is warranted to explore factors influencing empathy in paramedic students and to develop targeted interventions.
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