A Comparison of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students' Self-Reported Empathy With Standardized Patients Perceptions of Empathy During a Simulated Telehealth Encounter.

Empathy is an important factor in developing a positive patient-provider relationship. It has been shown to lead to improved patient outcomes, well-being, and satisfaction. This study examines the relationship between first-year physical therapy students' self-reported empathy levels and a patient's perceptions of caregiver empathy during a standardized patient interview via telehealth. Forty-five students completed a self-reported empathy survey before the standardized patient encounter using telehealth. Following the experience, standardized patients rated the perceived empathy demonstrated by the students during that patient-provider encounter using 2 validated measures. The mean student self-reported empathy using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Care Provider Student (JSE-HPS) version was 123.93 (range 95-135 SD 7.328). The standardized Jefferson Scale of Patient Perception of Provider Empathy (JSPPPE) scores showed a mean of 23.8 (range 11-32 SD 3.951) and a mean of 3.16 (range 1-5 SD.85) on the Global Rating of Empathy (GRE). There was no significant correlation found between the JSE-HPS and the JSPPPE, r = -.47, P = .760, or the GRE r = -.166, P = .276. The artificial nature of a standardized patient interaction using the telehealth format for this encounter may have contributed to the students' inability to communicate empathy to the patient and may explain this discrepancy.

Participant Outcomes of a Student-Run, Intensive, Short-Term, Task-Specific Rehabilitation Program for Individuals Post-Stroke.

Empathy, when demonstrated by health care providers, results in improved patient compliance and enhanced patient outcomes. Yet, self-reported empathy has been shown to decrease in health care professional students during their course of study. Possible reasons for this decrease in empathy have included the type of curriculum of the professional program, participation in clinical experiences, the movement from idealism to realism, and student distress. This current study using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS) demonstrated that Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, from two DPT programs, showed an increase in their self-reported levels of empathy over the course of their professional education. These students were surveyed before and after clinical experiences and represented two pedagogically different DPT programs. These data suggest that DPT students may differ from the trends found in other healthcare domains. Instead of developing interventions to improve student empathy, as has been suggested, educational time may be better spent helping these DPT students protect and utilize their current levels of empathy.

A Quantitative Measurement of Physical Therapists' Empathy and Exploration of the Relationship With Practice Setting and Work Engagement.

Clinical empathy has been studied in a number of health-care disciplines suggesting that higher practitioner empathy leads to improved patient health and wellness and improved patient outcomes. While some aspects of the physical therapist-patient relationship have been described, evidence of quantitative assessment of clinical empathy in physical therapists is scarce. To investigate the level of self-reported clinical empathy in physical therapists and its relationship to practice environment and workplace engagement, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Provider version (JSE-HP) and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) were used. Study participants were 123 physical therapists working full time at either an acute care setting, a rehabilitation hospital, or an outpatient clinic. These physical therapists demonstrated a mean JSE-HP score of 118.5 (9.1) and a mean OLBI score of 15.63 (3.5). This mean empathy score was found to be higher than reported empathy level of some health disciplines such as nursing and pharmacy yet lower than others such as mental health workers, psychiatrists, and pediatricians. Practice setting was not found to be a significant factor regarding empathy levels in physical therapists. As reported in previous studies, there was a positive correlation between being female and having higher empathy levels. A positive correlation was found between age and work disengagement. Finally, our hypothesis regarding a negative correlation between empathy and work disengagement was confirmed, suggesting that workplace disengagement may diminish a physical therapist's empathy, which may then negatively affect patient clinical outcomes.