Can Clinical Empathy Be Communicated by Text Message? A Case Report

Clement J Bottino1,2, Karishma Manji3

  • 1Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

This case report examines a text message communication between a pediatric primary care provider and the mother of a medically complex child for indicators of clinical empathy. First, some clinical background information is provided; second, indicators of clinical empathy are evaluated using a validated instrument; and third, some benefits, limitations, and future directions informed by the case are discussed.

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