Empathy as a learning objective in medical education: using phenomenology of learning theory to explore medical students’ learning processes

Background Clinical empathy has been associated with a range of positive patient- and clinician outcomes. Educating medical students to become empathic physicians has in recent years become a clearly pronounced learning objective in medical education in many countries worldwide. Research knowledge a...

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Published in:BMC medical education Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 1 - 12
Main Authors: Assing Hvidt, Elisabeth, Ulsø, Anne, Thorngreen, Cecilie Valentin, Søndergaard, Jens, Andersen, Christina Maar
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London BioMed Central 19.08.2022
BioMed Central Ltd
Springer Nature B.V
BMC
Subjects:
Analysis
Behavior
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Communication
Core curriculum
Denmark
Education
Educational objectives
Empathy
Knowledge acquisition
Learning
Learning Processes
Learning strategies
Learning Theories
Medical Education
Medical research
Medical students
Patient satisfaction
Phenomenology
Phenomenology of learning
Qualitative methods
Skills
Student participation
Study and teaching
Teaching Methods
Theory of Medicine/Bioethics
Denmark
Medical education
Denmark
Qualitative methods
Empathy
Phenomenology of learning
ISSN:1472-6920, 1472-6920
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Background Clinical empathy has been associated with a range of positive patient- and clinician outcomes. Educating medical students to become empathic physicians has in recent years become a clearly pronounced learning objective in medical education in many countries worldwide. Research knowledge about how medical students experience the learning processes conveyed by empathy-enhancing educational interventions is lacking. Our study aimed to explore Danish medical students’ perspectives on which experiences allowed learning processes to take place in relation to empathy and empathic communication with patients. Methods We conducted a qualitative research study, involving semi-structured interviews with twenty-three Danish medical students across years of curriculum and universities. Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) guided the analytical process, moving on a continuum from inductive to deductive, theoretical approaches. Key concepts in regard to learning processes deriving from Amadeo Giorgi’s learning theory were applied to analyse the data. Results Learning processes in relation to clinical empathy occured: 1. when theoretical knowledge about empathy became embodied and contextualied within a clinical context 2. through interpersonal interactions, e.g., with peers, faculty members and clinicians, that conveyed behavior-mobilizing positive and negative affect and 3. when new learning discoveries in 2. and 3. were appropriated as a personalized and adequate behavior that transcends the situational level. Conclusion Rather than being an immediate product of knowledge transmission, skill acquisition or training, learning clinical empathy is experienced as a dynamic, temporal process embedded in a daily clinical lifeworld of becoming an increasingly human professional.
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ISSN:1472-6920
1472-6920
DOI:10.1186/s12909-022-03696-x