Abstract
Background. Various authors cited in the international research literature have pointed out that empathy shown by the physician during contact with patients benefits them and the health professional him/herself. Such sources pose difficulties for generalization since empathic behavior is affected by the culture and nationality of both the physician and the patient. Furthermore, not all authors consider the relevance of empathy as key in the healthcare context. Empathy is sometimes assumed as a matter of course due to the absence of consensus on measuring and operationalizing it. Objective. The present study aimed at examining the results of a review of the national and international research literature. Method. The scrutiny included original articles reporting a beneficial effect of empathy or its relationship to improvement for the patient or the health professional. The analysis also describes the instruments used to evaluate the construct in studies reporting benefits. The search included six years (2014-2020) from the following databases: Pubmed, Cochrane, Scielo, Latindex, and Redalyc. Results. A total of 420 articles appeared, but only nine covered the search requirements. Also, seven measuring instruments emerged. Discussion. The present paper discusses some implications on the evaluation of empathy based on current research. We include relevant information aimed at healthcare professionals interested in evaluating the benefits of empathy.
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