Development and validation of the Multidimensional Clinical Empathy Scale for healthcare professionals and students

Clinical empathy is a crucial skill for healthcare professionals, enhancing patient outcomes, and satisfaction. However, existing scales, such as the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, focus primarily on cognitive empathy, overlooking the affective component. This gap highlights the need for a validated tool that measures both cognitive and affective empathy in healthcare professionals. This study developed and validated a multidimensional scale-the Multidimensional Clinical Empathy Scale-for assessing both cognitive and affective empathy in healthcare professionals and students.

This three-phase study involved item generation, reduction, and validation, using literature reviews, qualitative studies, and survey methodologies. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to test the scale's validity. The Multidimensional Clinical Empathy Scale was constructed using a five-domain theoretical model: Empathetic Connections, Valuing Empathy, Empathetic Behaviours, Genuine Concern, and Perspective Taking. After content validation and exploratory factor analysis, the scale was reduced to 26 items with high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha of 0.94).

There were a total of 977 participants, comprising doctors, medical students, nurses, and nursing students from acute hospitals, community hospitals, medical schools, and nursing schools. The final 26-item Multidimensional Clinical Empathy Scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with factor loadings confirming the multidimensionality of clinical empathy. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the scale's four-factor structure, and the scale was validated across diverse healthcare settings with robust reliability and Content Validity Index (0.90).

The Multidimensional Clinical Empathy Scale provides a comprehensive, validated tool for measuring both cognitive and affective empathy in healthcare professionals and students. Its multidimensional structure offers potential for broader applications in clinical education and research.