Empathy and attitudes toward palliative care among Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study

Palliative care is increasingly recognized worldwide for improving the quality of life of patients with life-threatening illnesses and their families. However, in China, palliative care education is often marginalized, and limited research has examined how medical students' empathy levels and personal characteristics influence their attitudes toward palliative care.

A cross-sectional study surveyed 546 undergraduate students from clinical medicine, nursing, and related majors at a Chinese medical university, with 463 valid responses analyzed (response rate: 84.8%). Data were collected using an online questionnaire incorporating demographic measures, the Chinese version of the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD-B), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-Chinese version (IRI-C). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression.

The mean attitude score toward palliative care was 96.16 ± 10.82, and the mean empathy score was 52.93 ± 11.25, indicating moderate levels. Empathy was significantly positively correlated with attitudes toward palliative care (r = 0.378, p-value < 0.01), with the Fantasy subdimension showing the strongest association. Regression analysis identified better family atmosphere, bereavement experience, and volunteer or part-time work as significant predictors of both empathy and attitudes.

Integrating empathy training and experiential learning into medical curricula may enhance Chinese medical students' preparedness to deliver compassionate end-of-life care, highlighting the need for targeted palliative care education reforms.