Empathy Enhancement Based on a Semiotics Training Program: A Longitudinal Study in Peruvian Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Empathy Development
• Professionalism in Medicine

Background:

• Empathy is a critical component of medical professionalism and leadership.
• Cognitive empathy, involving understanding and communication, can be improved through targeted education.
• Medical semiotics training offers a potential avenue for enhancing empathy in early medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a medical semiotics course on the empathy levels of medical students.
• To determine if medical semiotics training influences cognitive and communication aspects of empathy.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involving 269 third-year medical students in Peru.
• A 17-week medical semiotics course was implemented as part of the regular curriculum.
• The Jefferson Scales of Empathy (JSE) were administered pre- and post-course, alongside measures of inter-professional collaboration and lifelong learning.

Main Results:

• Significant enhancement in empathy was observed in the entire student sample (p < 0.001, large effect size).
• Empathy improvement was consistent across both male and female student groups.
• No significant changes were noted in inter-professional collaboration or lifelong learning abilities.

Conclusions:

• Empirical evidence supports the positive effect of medical semiotics training on developing empathy in medical students.
• The study highlights potential gender differences in empathy development during medical training.
• Medical semiotics education is a valuable intervention for fostering essential professional attributes.