Empathy is the Remedy

Abstract

This article will show how empathy can be used to alleviate the stress and anxiety many people feel when going to the doctor, as well as argue why empathy should be taught in medical and nursing school to counteract the diminished levels of empathy many students face and, by extension, improve the quality of care these students will be able to provide as they transition into the medical field.  It is not only the job of the patient to accurately describe their symptoms, but it is also the doctor’s responsibility to alleviate any stress or discomfort his or her patient may be feeling, as well as making an appropriate diagnosis. Empathy is an integral part of healthcare. If nurses and doctors are better able to understand the feelings of their patients, they will better be able to care for their patients on a physiological level as well as an emotional level. Because many Americans suffer from fear about going to the doctor, as physicians learn to employ empathy in their practice they can more easily lessen any stress or anxiety that their patients are feeling.

Comments from Mentors

"David Brown is one of the most sincere, inquisitive students I’ve known. Throughout our class, Nature of Values: Empathy (spring 2016), he asked questions that stretched all of us to consider new perspectives. He interacted thoughtfully and respectfully with his peers, demonstrating tact and a sincere appreciation for differing views. In his paper, he adeptly argued that “empathy should be taught in medical and nursing school to counteract the diminished levels of empathy many students face and improve the quality of care these students will be able to provide as they transition into the medical field.”    

--Dr. Wendy Williams