Promoting empathy using video-based teaching

Background: Empathy is fundamental to patient-centred care. It has been shown to improve patient satisfaction and therapeutic outcomes. The success of educational interventions in enhancing students' empathy has been mixed, however, and a consensus on the most effective approach is lacking. Methods: Patients were videoed discussing their hospital experiences and interactions with clinicians. These videos were shown to groups of medical students, who then took part in a facilitated discussion around themes of health care communication and patient experience. The session was delivered to 48 students over seven sessions and evaluated by way of serial attitude questionnaires (the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale, PPOS) and written feedback. Results: There was an improvement in PPOS scores amongst participants, with pre- and post-intervention means of 78.8 and 82.0, respectively, indicating an improvement in patient-centred attitudes. Written feedback highlighted the emotional impact of hearing patients' stories, and that the discussion explored issues not covered in previous teaching. Students reported changes in their approach to patients, including introducing themselves more often, and taking measures to make patients feel more at ease on ward rounds. Discussion: This study describes the use of patient video interviews to promote empathy in medical students, by stimulating reflective discussion on themes of health care communication and patient experience. Future use of these methods are recommended, although further research would benefit from larger student numbers and the use of objective clinical examination scores to assess behaviour change.