Measuring empathy levels among Kurdish medical students in Erbil City, Iraq : cross-sectional study

Abstract EN

Objectives: Empathy is a crucial attribute within the physician-patient relationship.

This study aimed to evaluate the empathy levels of students in the College of Medicine at Hawler Medical University (HMU) in Erbil city, Iraq.

Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between January and May 2015 and included all medical undergraduates enrolled at HMU (n = 989).

The validated self-administered English language version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-SV) was used to measure empathy levels.

Students reported their conformity to each statement of the 20-item questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale.

Levels of empathy were considered directly relative to their final score.

Results: A total of 927 students completed the questionnaire (response rate: 93.7%).

The male-to-female ratio was 0.72:1 and the mean age was 21.3 ± 1.4 years.

The mean empathy score was 101.9 ± 19.2.

Female students had significantly higher empathy (P = 0.023) and more frequently chose people-oriented specialties (P = 0.001) than males.

First-year students reported the highest mean score (112.9 ± 20.1) while fourth-year students had the lowest (92.7 ± 16.0).

There was a significant decline in mean scores between first- and second-year male students (P = 0.020) and first- and fourth-year male students (P = 0.050).

Students who chose people-oriented specialties had significantly higher scores than those who chose technologyoriented specialties (P = 0.002).

Conclusion: The studied cohort of HMU students demonstrated low empathy levels.

As such, the inclusion of empathy instruction in medical school curricula is recommended to promote professionalism and patient welfare.