Adding a dose of empathy to healthcare: What can healthcare systems do?

Healthcare practitioners often note system-level barriers to empathy between patients and practitioners. These include burnout-inducing administrative workloads, unfriendly meeting times, burdensome protocols, lack of wellbeing spaces, and undervaluing empathy as a core part of an institution's mission. The need for empathy in healthcare has been magnified with the current SARS-COV-2 outbreak which has limited the expression of interpersonal empathy due to rigid isolation protocols and the use of personal protective equipment.

This study-the first of its kind that we are aware of-outlines the details of a facilitated workshop run with the leadership of a tertiary level pediatric center in Canada. The workshop used a modified nominal group technique to discuss and prioritize actions to enhance empathy into the hospital system.

Inter-professional and inter-disciplinary group of healthcare leader participants agreed on several immediately actionable steps, including embedding patient satisfaction with care measures as standard, and streamlining booking appointments. A roadmap was created to implement the other priorities.

A systematic approach to infusing empathy into the structure of our healthcare system is much needed. Furthermore, inter-professional and inter-disciplinary educational workshops was well-received as a way to facilitate discussion and drive change.