The Role of Empathy in Therapy and the Physician-Patient Relationship

This paper seeks to give an overview of the role of clinical empathy in therapy and in the physician-patient relationship. Researchers have offered definitions of empathy in the clinical context, and a number of validated measures exist. There is evidence from the health-related research literature to support the positive association of clinical empathy with improved therapeutic outcomes in a wide range of clinical settings. Clinical empathy is also understood to be a crucial component of the physician-patient therapeutic relationship. Barriers to the development and expression of empathy in the clinical context are explored, and ways of enhancing empathy discussed.