Training medical students to empathize: an experimental study

Research has indicated that patients are greatly concerned about the poor quality of doctors' interpersonal communication skills, but such training is infrequently incorporated into medical education. An experimental study, which used a commercially available training programme, is described. Undergraduate medical students were the subjects of the study, and their ability to empathize was assessed in the actual interview. Results indicated that training was effective in increasing the students' levels of empathy.