1.4 Policy and practice background and relevance
1.4.1 Educational Policy background
In the health field, Empathy has been a main topic since the patient centred care model entered. Carl Rogers was one of the first authors that introduced the importance of empathy in therapy and education in the early 1960´s.
However, the policy and practice initiatives to include and develop empathy in health education have been only raised in the last decades. Nowadays, there is a great concern and development about this in many medical and nursing faculties. They have incorporate medical humanities, professionalism and interpersonal development among other subjects in their programs in order to incorporate a more humanistic training. Dentistry and dental
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It has also been acknowledged the immediate positive effect on communication skills, personal exchange and self-esteem building, as well as more long-lasting effects such as trust and emulation (Cooper, 2011).
Additionally, it has been found that a lack of empathy or EI among students is related to a higher level of stress and for that reason it has been suggested that empathy would help by having a buffer effect on this (Ravichandra et al., 2015, Naidoo and Pau, 2008, Pau and Croucher, 2003).This is interesting since dental students have shown to have the highest level of stress among health students, while this groups has already higher stress than other careers (Birks et al., 2009).
Finally, there are a number of papers that suggest that health students who had humanistic courses at the beginning of their career enhance their empathy or EI and show better later professional performance (Masella, 2007, Nelson et al., 2013, Victoroff and Boyatzis,
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Overall, it makes an improvement in quality of life (Hojat, 2007).
As can be appreciated from the above, empathy is related with important educational terms such as self-directed and transformative learning, as well as embedded in current trendy concepts in healthcare education such as professionalism, patient-centred care and communication skills.
Does this means that empathy is a synonymous of them? Should we teach these “skills” as separate courses and assume that empathy will be cultivated, or would it be wiser to teach our students directed empathy interventions along the career to change their behaviour based on values and improve their critical thinking and reflection to form their ethical and professional criteria?
In conclusion, empathy has many benefits for any part involved. It has a main role in enhancing learning, coping with stress and burnout; it impacts on the professional performance and helps to improve patients therapy and outcomes. To sum up, it has a great importance for the wellbeing of students, clinicians and patients.
1.5 Aim and Review
Empathy is used to create change in the world by reaching out to the emotions of people and attending to them. It is used to help others learn and decide on matters that would not be reasonable without feelings attached to them. Empathy helps bring together communities that would have long ago drifted apart, but instead welcomed all who were different. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This attribute of human-beings really allows us to not only attend to situations as if they were our own, but it allows us to feel most of what others feel because humans are very much alike in some ways. In many of the articles and novels that we have read this quarter, characters from different pieces of context have portrayed empathy whether it was toward
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Compassion and empathy inspire change in a society whether it be changing individual’s usual way of thinking, uniting, or accepting those who are different. Individuals can use their compassion for something to cause a change in someone else’s thought of that thing. Several people have used empathy to bring others feelings together. People can also use empathy to show others to have acceptance towards ones who may not be like themselves.
Empathy, is a self-conscious characteristic human beings hold that allows them to understand another individual’s situation and feelings (Segal, Cimino, Gerdes &Wagaman, 2013). In regard to ho...
The formation of the Roman Empire was begotten by way of the first Roman Emperor Augustus, whom formed the Roman Republic within the Italian Peninsula. Many wars were fought in efforts to expand itself along the vast Mediterranean. Territories acquired during this time are as follows:
But how does one achieve this mindset? Carper (1948) answers this as well; empathy. Nurses use empathy to act not as an audience but as a possible contributor. As said earlier, empathy allows for better perception skills. As a result, with good perception skills comes access to more specific information that forms what Copper (2001) calls ‘particular knowledge’ or subjective knowledge obtained by a nurse about an individual client (p. 6). It is knowledge nurse can have access to if they have enough respect for their
What the research proved, was the enrichment of patients and an improved treatment outcomes. Empathy was the key to the success, thus a huge strength surrounding patient care (2011). However, I personally view empathy with many limitations. Epistemological Assumptions are one limitation when practitioners listen with third ears. For example, when a doctor doesn’t listen to the patient, rather, listens to the family or nurses. (2003) Practitioners will sometimes focus on feelings, not meanings. This in its self can be limiting, depending on the issue. If it’s a trauma, moving past the devastation is virtually impossible when focusing on the emotions it brings. Finding meaning in the experience, will allow the patient to heal. (2003). The expert knower, further undermines the patients story by creating superiority over the patient. All of these diminish the client and their experience, further breaking the bond of the client therapist
Another noteworthy feature of this approach is the chance to empathize. In most forms of therapy, empathy is not used: why would you want to add more conflict to an already difficult situation? Well, as counterintuitive as it may seem, it does have standing. By definition empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another person. In this context empathy serves as an indirect way for readers to relive and recall their own experiences.
Is Empathy a prerequisite for a good Therapeutic relationship? If so, what is the optimal degree of Empathy required for a positive Therapeutic outcome? In the recent years, much emphasis is placed on understanding what "ingredients" in Therapeutic relationship contribute to a positive outcome. Many researchers have attempted to separate essential aspects of the Therapeutic relationship. Rogers (1957) quoted three essential aspects that were vital to attain a "psychological climate" in where a client could reorganize himself. These aspects were characterized as genuineness in the relationship, acceptance of the client (warmth), and accurate empathic understanding of the clients’ phenomenal world. Findings of previous studies show that these three aspects are separate and can be measured independently (Bergin, 1967; Truax, Wargo, Frank, Imbe, Battle, Hoehn-Saric, & Stone 1966).
Empathy is the ‘capacity’ to share and understand another person’s ‘state of mind’ or their emotion. It is an experience of the outlook on emotions of another person being within themselves (Ioannides & Konstantikaki, 2008). There are two different types of empathy: affective empathy and cognitive empathy. Affective empathy is the capacity in which a person can respond to another person’s emotional state using the right type of emotion. On the other hand, cognitive empathy is a person’s capacity to understand what someone else is feeling. (Rogers, Dziobek, Hassenstab, Wolf & Convit, 2006). This essay will look at explaining how biology and individual differences help us to understand empathy as a complex, multi-dimensional trait.
Clinical empathy is a cornerstone of compassionate and effective healthcare delivery, playing a pivotal role in patient-centered medical practice. It encompasses the ability of healthcare providers to understand, acknowledge, and respond to patients' emotions, concerns, and perspectives. In today's dynamic healthcare landscape, where technological advancements often dominate discussions, the humanistic aspect of clinical empathy remains indispensable. This essay delves into the concept of clinical empathy, its multifaceted role in medical practice, and the profound impact it has on patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. Moreover, clinical empathy is vital in addressing the emotional aspects of patient care.
Moreover, Empathy is defined as the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another and can be reflected in several aspects, such as affective, cognitive, emotional and compassionate. Affective and cognitive empathy are illustrated by processing someone’s perspective and being able to identify and understand their emotions...
Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to intuit what that person is feeling (Pink, 2006). Rather than simply sympathizing, empathy enables us to put ourselves into the shoes of another and actually feel what they are feeling. This vicarious sense allows us to better understand people and their experiences. Understanding others and their experiences is vital in education. Whether dealing with different races, religions, sexes, etc., empathy provides us with an avenue to widespread understanding of others that even language cannot.
The dictionary definition of Empathy is the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of others. Simply put, empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be aware of their feelings and understand their needs. In the workplace, empathy can show a deep respect for co-workers and show that you care, as opposed to just going by rules and regulations. An empathic leadership style can make everyone feel like a team and increase productivity, morale and loyalty. Empathy is a powerful tool in the leadership belt of a well-liked and respected executive (Pressley, 2012).
Recently, inhabitants of many societies and communities are demonstrating a unwillingness to care about their neighbors, and with this comes changes in those societies.
It is about the personal understanding and treatment of the patient as an individual, interpreting the situation from their perspective. Gain a complete understanding grounded in professional and research-based knowledge of clinical practice; personal reflection and a consciousness of the patient’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. (Olckers, Gibbs & Duncan 2007: 2-3) Empathy involves gaining insight into patients’ backgrounds, core values, relationships and medical history through dialogue. Chochinov 2007: 1877 - 1877. Reflective Dimension:..