Abstract
Background & Need for Innovation: The importance of physician empathy for the quality of care is widely acknowledged, but comprehensive attention to the formation of empathy is often lacking in medical curricula.
Goal of Innovation: In response to this incongruity, the aim was to develop education that contributes to the formation of empathy. In line with virtue-ethical theories, empathy is viewed as a character trait (virtue), developed by practicing. This includes acquiring knowledge of empathy as a virtue and understanding its demands in morally salient (clinical) situations (virtue literacy).
Steps Taken for Development and Implementation of Innovation: Four transdisciplinary teaching modules were developed for medical master’s students during their four-week psychiatry rotation at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen. Within each module, students (a) engage in discussions on empathy as a multidimensional virtue, (b) participate in exercises involving visual arts, literature, writing, drama, or clinical cases, followed by structured reflection, and (c) apply the insights gained during their rotations and subsequently reflect on these experiences.
Evaluation of Innovation: Learning outcomes were exploratively assessed through qualitative, thematic analyses of: 1) pre- and post-module written students’ accounts; 2) recordings of student discussions after modules; and 3) interviews on experiences and self-reported learning outcomes of the drama module.
Critical Reflection on Process: The modules promote understanding of empathy as a multidimensional virtue and student reflection on their empathic attitudes in clinical practice. Key factors include using art, connecting strongly to clinical experiences, and co-teaching by an ethicist or medical humanities teacher and a psychiatrist. More guidance (e.g. homework) may further support learning.