A Method to Assessing Empathetic Attitudes / 医学教育

ABSTRACT

1) Empathy is a psychological phenomenon that cannot be observed from the outside. The Japanese word kyokan is used to mean both "empathy" and "sympathy" in English. Therefore, instruction in and assessment of empathy are difficult and involve confusion.<br>2) In the "dialogue method" proposed in this paper, the responses of the medical care staff are divided into "confirmative responses" and "reactive responses." Instruction with this method contributes to the improvement of medical communication skills.<br>3) The effect of a "confirmative response" is similar to that of empathy. If attention is paid to these verbal communication skills, empathy can be assessed as an observable skill.