Articles: empathy.
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Educ Health (Abingdon) · Mar 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialTeaching empathy to first year medical students: evaluation of an elective literature and medicine course.
Empathy is critical to the development of professionalism in medical students, and the humanities-particularly literature-have been touted as an effective tool for increasing student empathy. This quantitative/qualitative study was undertaken to assess whether reading and discussing poetry and prose related to patients and doctors could significantly increase medical student empathy and appreciation of the relevance of the humanities for their own professional development. ⋯ A brief literature-based course can contribute to greater student empathy and appreciation for the value of humanities in medical education.
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Comparative Study
Effect of gender, age, and relevant course work on attitudes toward empathy, patient spirituality, and physician wellness.
The emphasis in medical education on viewing the patient as a whole person addresses current concerns about the negative impact of standard physician training that may lead to impaired patient-physician relationships. ⋯ Exposure to educational activities in empathy, philosophical values and meaning, and wellness during medical school may increase empathy and wellness in medical practice.
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J Altern Complement Med · Jan 2004
ReviewMindfulness and healing intention: concepts, practice, and research evaluation.
This paper deals with the role of the health care professional in creating an optimal healing environment (OHE), with a special focus on which inner state and way of being in the world can create a healing intention. A core thesis is that every healing effort and every healing intention starts within the health care professional. An accepting, mindful, and warm-hearted relationship with self is primary to any healing intention. ⋯ The power and importance of mindfulness and compassion for healing are explored along the Frank model of nonspecific therapeutic components. This is the approach whereby a health care professional can elicit self-healing powers in patients through his or her inner attitudes. Finally, a research program and some hypotheses on how to implement and research this specific approach toward the creation of an OHE are outlined.