A 5 Step Empathetic Model (5-SEM) for Doctor Patient Communication

Although empathy in the physician-patient relationship is often advocated, a theoretically based measurable practical model for doctors has been missing. This paper presents a Five Stage Model for Empathetic Communication (5-SEM) and a measurement scale. The suggested measurement's aim is to assist doctors to evaluate the effectiveness and contribution of the 5-SEM in terms of the levels of patient trust, a patient will for joint decision making, patient motivation to collaborate, and measurement of health outcomes. The 5-SEM is designed to become an integral part of natural communication. In this paper, the 5-SEM model is elaborated both technically and theoretically in order to demonstrate its rationale and its mechanisms in the production of empathetic communication.