Medical Students' Empathy for Vulnerable Groups: Results From a Survey and Reflective Writing Assignment

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Population Health
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Medical curricula increasingly recognize social determinants of health.
• Empathy is crucial for patient connection, but nurturing empathy for populations is less understood.
• Engaging medical students with vulnerable groups requires new educational approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between individual and social empathy.
• To lay groundwork for cultivating students' empathy for vulnerable groups.
• To inform curriculum development in medical education.

Main Methods:

• First-year medical students (N=130) completed the Social Empathy Index pre- and post-course.
• A two-semester population health course was implemented.
• Reflective writing assignments explored challenges in caring for vulnerable patients.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in the contextual understanding of systemic barriers domain scores.
• A non-significant trend towards increased cumulative social empathy scores.
• Reflective essays highlighted individual empathy as a foundation, civic/moral obligations, and institutional roles.

Conclusions:

• Social empathy extends empathy beyond individuals to vulnerable groups.
• Social empathy is valuable for curricula aimed at caring for the underserved.
• Addressing barriers to individual and social empathy is crucial for educators.