Abstract

ONTEXT: In medicine and health care, empathy is a very important component of relationship between a physician or healthcare provider and patients. AIMS: This study was designed to investigate the factors affecting empathy with patient among healthcare provider students using structural equation model. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study to examine the conceptual model based on JSE-HPS. Three hundred ninety-eight students of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran participated in the study. They were selected by quota-stratified sampling. The data were collected by JSE-HPS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: To examine the conceptual model, and SEM was used for ordinal data using WLSMV in Mplus 6. RESULTS: Findings indicated proper model fit so that "perspective-taking" had a positive effect on "compassionate care". "Compassionate care" had a positive effect on "standing in patient's shoes". CONCLUSION: The results of this study can improve students' empathic relationships with patients. The "perspective-taking", "compassionate care" and "standing in patient's shoes" must be emphasized in training programs for medical students providing healthcare in order to familiarize them with the importance of empathy and its role in care. KEY MESSAGES: Empathy is truly the heart of the relationship, Perspective-Taking, Compassionate Care, and Standing in Patient's Shoes can be taken into account to improve the empathy and establish empathic relationships with patients. Proper environment is expected for improving the disease consequences by establishing empathic relationships.