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Empathy is a critical part of healthcare and is very much needed today, especially as mental health issues such as depression and anxiety continue to expand.

Delivering quality healthcare is a common goal for physicians nationwide. Advances in medical technology, innovative diagnostic tools, and therapies are instrumental in attaining that goal. Empathy is another critical component of healthcare, and many patients value empathy when searching for a healthcare provider. Although many clinicians practice empathy, it is not universal. It can be overlooked for various reasons, including stress, burnout, work overload, time constraints, high patient load, physical and emotional exhaustion, emotional detachment, and individual issues and personality traits.

In conversations with physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, and physician’s assistants, I’ve heard numerous personal stories that emphasize the importance of empathy in their practice; however, many also expressed that empathy is not always practiced, and awareness about the impact of empathy on patient care should be expanded. Movies like Patch Adams and The Doctor highlight empathy’s positive impact on patient care and the universal commonalities of all human beings in wanting to be seen, heard, understood, and treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

Many publications explored empathy’s positive impact on patient care. The authors of a recent publication in BMC Medical Education examined factors that promoted the development of empathy in the healthcare setting. They detected personal factors, such as inherent characteristics, physiological and mental states, professional identity, and external factors, such as work environment, life experience, and situational stressors, that affected empathy development. Understanding the factors that affect empathy may help develop measures that could be applied in the workplace.

 Another study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences revealed that empathy improved the provider-patient relationship and enhanced medication adherence among patients with hypertension. Authors of a study published in Patient Education and Counseling demonstrated that clinicians caring for patients with breast cancer who show more empathy can foster better psychological well-being for patients.

Empathy indeed is a critical part of healthcare and is very much needed in our world today, especially as mental health issues such as depression and anxiety continue to expand. Actively listening to patients and acknowledging their roles in their health can foster good communication, thus building good provider-patient relationships.