Impact of clinical interview training on the empathy level of medical students and medical residents

BACKGROUND: Empathy is a skill that can be acquired by practise and should become a habit. AIMS: Assess the impact of a communication skills workshop on the empathy level of medical students and medical residents. METHODS: Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study. Empathy level was assessed in 203 subjects using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE), divided in two groups: one control group, and other experimental group that participated in an activity consisting of a 25-hour theoretical/practical workshop on communication and empathy. RESULTS: The mean pre-workshop JSPE score was similar in both groups. Post-workshop JSPE score increased 5.24 points (95 CI 3.82-7.09) (P<0.0001) in the experimental group, improving in 68.9% of participants. No significant increase in JSPE score after the second assessment was observed in the controls. For this difference the estimated effect size was 0.78. CONCLUSIONS: A communication skills workshop yields a slight improvement of crucial practice importance in subjects' empathy.