Empathy Among Internal Medicine Residents in a Community-Based Training Program: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Empathy
• Internal Medicine Residency Programs

Background:

• Empathy is crucial in patient care and medical education.
• Research indicates a decline in physician empathy with increased years of medical training in academic settings.
• This study investigates empathy trends in a community-based internal medicine residency program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess empathy levels among residents in a community-based internal medicine training program.
• To test the hypothesis that empathy does not decrease with training years in this program.
• To identify factors influencing empathy levels during residency.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, observational study design was employed.
• The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy was administered to 22 resident physicians (PGY0-PGY3).
• Data were collected between May and October 2013 from eligible residents.

Main Results:

• A response rate of 45% (22/48 residents) was achieved.
• Mean empathy scores varied across training years, with PGY3 residents scoring highest (124.0).
• A statistically significant increase in empathy was found between incoming residents and PGY3 residents.

Conclusions:

• Empathy levels in this internal medicine residency program were associated with higher scores at the end of training.
• Targeted curricula, including behavioral science and geriatric medicine, may contribute to sustained or increased empathy.
• Findings contrast with trends observed in academic medical centers, suggesting program-specific factors are influential.