Article Text

Download PDFPDF
The limits of empathy: problems in medical education and practice
  1. Anna Smajdor,
  2. Andrea Stöckl,
  3. Charlotte Salter
  1. School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
  1. Correspondence to Anna Smajdor, School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK; a.smajdor{at}uea.ac.uk

Abstract

Empathy is commonly regarded as an essential attribute for doctors and there is a conviction that empathy must be taught to medical students. Yet it is not clear exactly what empathy is, from a philosophical or sociological point of view, or whether it can be taught. The meaning, role and relevance of empathy in medical education have tended to be unquestioningly assumed; there is a need to examine and contextualise these assumptions. This paper opens up that debate, arguing that ‘empathy’, as it is commonly understood, is neither necessary nor sufficient to guarantee good medical or ethical practice.

  • Empathy
  • education
  • paternalism
  • ethics
  • communication skills, philosophical ethics
  • education/programs
  • philosophy of the health professions
  • general
  • quality of health care

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

Linked Articles

  • The concise argument
    Søren Holm