Empathy and Health

Empathy has been identified as a critical element in our society today. It can be defined simply as the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes. Empathy can be split into two types—cognitive empathy and emotional empathy. Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings. Emotional empathy refers to the feelings of concern experienced for the welfare of others, which can result in a parallel emotional experience. There are several interpretations about how empathy is manifested, especially in the health sector. Healthcare providers are taught early on in training about the importance of empathy in patient care. Several studies have found empathy to have a positive effect on the physician–patient encounter, as well as the overall well-being of patients. There has been much debate on whether empathy is a trait or a state and on whether it is innate or can be learned. Additionally, the personality trait, emotional intelligence, which is the awareness of one’s own feelings, has been closely linked to one’s capacity to empathize. Emotional intelligence has been found to reap benefits for both physicians and patients. This chapter will define empathy, explain its significance in both our society as well as the health sector followed by how empathy is measured in healthcare and its overall impact. Lastly, the chapter concludes with insight on the future of empathy in healthcare.