Level of empathy among dietitians: A pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Professions
• Clinical Nutrition
• Patient-Provider Communication

Background:

• Empathy in healthcare providers is crucial for positive patient outcomes.
• Increased demand for dietetics necessitates evaluating dietitian practices and patient interactions.
• Limited research exists on empathy levels among dietitians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the empathy level of clinical dietitians in Malaysia.
• To investigate factors influencing dietitian empathy in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A purposive sampling method was used, recruiting dietitians from Malaysian government and private hospitals.
• The validated 16-item Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) was self-administered.
• Data collected included demographic information and work allocation.

Main Results:

• Sixty-nine dietitians participated (36 private, 33 government).
• Mean total TEQ scores were 49.72 ± 5.62.
• Dietitians in private hospitals (51.06 ± 5.26) had significantly higher empathy scores than those in government hospitals (48.27 ± 5.72).

Conclusions:

• Malaysian dietitian empathy levels differ significantly based on their work setting (private vs. government hospitals).
• No significant differences in empathy were found related to gender, ethnicity, experience, or time allocation.
• This preliminary data provides a baseline for future research and dietetics education development in Malaysia.