Exploring empathy's role as a buffer against physician burnout: a narrative review

High prevalence of burnout among physicians, along with its widely acknowledged detrimental effects on the doctor-patient relationship and the quality of care delivered, underscores a critical concern. Empathy is frequently linked to burnout, yet a consensus regarding the interplay between these concepts remains elusive. This narrative review aims to synthesize and interpret existing research on the relationship between empathy and burnout in physicians, with a particular focus on evaluating whether empathy serves as a protective factor against burnout.

This narrative review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed across three databases: PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, using the keywords 'empathy' AND 'burnout' AND 'doctors' OR 'physicians.' Studies were included if they assessed the correlation between burnout and empathy in specialist or resident physicians, specifically using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy to measure empathy.

The review included 14 studies. Of these, 12 studies identified a negative correlation between empathy and burnout. Notably, 9 of these studies demonstrated that higher levels of empathy were associated with reduced levels of burnout. Conversely, 3 studies found that increased burnout levels were linked to a decrease in empathy.

The literature indicates a negative correlation between empathy and burnout, with the majority of the included studies suggesting that empathy serves as a protective factor against burnout. This relationship highlights the potential value of empathy-enhancing interventions as a strategy to mitigate burnout among physicians.