PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Anna Smajdor AU - Andrea Stöckl AU - Charlotte Salter TI - The limits of empathy: problems in medical education and practice AID - 10.1136/jme.2010.039628 DP - 2011 Jun 01 TA - Journal of Medical Ethics PG - 380--383 VI - 37 IP - 6 4099 - http://jme.bmj.com/content/37/6/380.short 4100 - http://jme.bmj.com/content/37/6/380.full SO - J Med Ethics2011 Jun 01; 37 AB - 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.