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  • © 2019

Exploring Empathy with Medical Students

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Investigates new insights into the factors influencing empathy in medical students

  • Addressing the widely perceived empathy gap in teaching and medical practice

  • Argues for greater involvement of the social sciences in medical education

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
  2. Introduction

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 1-15
  3. The Research Setting and Study Design

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 17-31
  4. Empathy: From Attribute to Relationship

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 33-72
  5. Emotions and Empathy

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 73-98
  6. Enhancing Empathy

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 99-118
  7. Barriers to Empathy: The Medical School Culture

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 119-149
  8. Barriers to Empathy: The Curriculum

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 151-183
  9. Summary and Implications

    • David Ian Jeffrey
    Pages 217-232
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 233-238

About this book

This book investigates new insights into the factors influencing empathy in medical students. Addressing the widely perceived empathy gap in teaching and medical practice, the book presents a new study into how this emotion is facilitated in the UK undergraduate medical curriculum, and its influence on doctor-patient relationships. The author utilises Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to investigate how medical students’ perspective on empathy changed throughout their education. It presents the risks students perceive when connecting emotionally with patients; their use of detachment as a taught coping mechanism; and the question of how they regulate their emotions. 


The book reveals the tension between students’ connection with and detachment from a patient and their aim to achieve an appropriate balance. The author presents a number of factors which seem to enhance empathy, and explores the balance of scientific biomedical versus psychosocial approaches in medical training. In contrast to the commonly-reported opinion that there has been decline in medical students’ empathy, this book contends that student empathy in fact increased during their training. This new study offers invaluable insight into how students and practitioners may be supported in dealing appropriately with their emotions as well as with those of their patients, thereby facilitating more humane medical care.





Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    David Ian Jeffrey

About the author

David Ian Jeffrey is Honorary Lecturer in Palliative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, UK and formerly Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Cheltenham UK. Previous published books include, Medical Mentoring (2014) and (co-author E. Jeffrey) Enhancing Compassion in End-of-Life Care Through Drama (2013).

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access