Empathy Variation in General Practice: A Survey among General Practitioners in Denmark

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Management
• Psychology

Background:

• Previous research indicates a correlation between high physician empathy and improved patient health outcomes and job satisfaction.
• Understanding empathy variations and general practitioner (GP) characteristics is crucial for developing targeted strategies to enhance empathy within the GP workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and analyze the variability in physician empathy among Danish GPs.
• To investigate the association between empathy levels and various demographic, professional, and job satisfaction characteristics of GPs.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 464 Danish GPs, including the Danish version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals (JSE-HP).
• Data on demographic, professional, and job satisfaction characteristics were collected.
• Descriptive statistics, quantile plots, and random-effect logistic regression were employed to analyze empathy variation and its correlates.

Main Results:

• Empathy scores exhibited a negative skew, with a mean of 117.9 (SD=10.1).
• GPs aged 45-54 and those not employed outside their practice were less likely to report high empathy (≥120).
• High empathy was associated with valuing physician-patient relationships, colleague interactions, and intellectual stimulation for job satisfaction, but not economic profit or prestige.

Conclusions:

• Substantial variation in physician empathy exists among Danish GPs, despite generally high scores.
• Empathy levels are positively associated with interpersonal relationship values and negatively with middle age and lack of outside employment.
• Educational and organizational interventions can potentially enhance GP empathy, leading to improved healthcare quality and patient outcomes.