A new study describes the creation of a curriculum which embeds empathic communication skills throughout undergraduate education for medical students.

A growing body of evidence is showing that empathic care and communication in healthcare settings leads to better outcomes for patients and helps healthcare professionals to cope with the pressures they face at work.

However, a new study from experts at the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare based at the University of Leicester, has revealed that despite most medical schools offering communication skills training, medical students’ empathy often declines as they progress through medical school.

The study identified key gaps in existing empathy training and its authors have gone on to develop a replicable model that combines home visits to patients, workplace-based empathy assessments with patient feedback and evidence-based communication strategies that are integrated throughout the medical curriculum.

Associate Professor in Medical Education and Honorary Senior Academic GP Andy Ward, of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, said:

"Empathy is central to effective medical practice but our research found that empathy training was concentrated in the early years of medical training and focussed on active listening and rapport-building, with little evidence-based content or longitudinal reinforcement."

“This could explain why empathy often declines as students progress throughout medical school."

“An evidence-based, empathy-focused communication skills curriculum has the potential to prevent the decline in medical student empathy and benefit students, future doctors, and patients.”

During the study, the researchers worked with patients, students, and teachers to design an innovative new way of teaching communication skills to medical students.

Dr Ward added:

“Instead of short courses focused on ‘ticking boxes,’ this new programme helps students to learn empathy throughout their five years of training. It includes home visits to patients, opportunities for students to learn directly from lived experiences, and feedback from patients themselves on how students communicate."

“It also teaches students how to navigate complex interactions including discussions about end-of-life care or working with people who face social exclusion.”

The study is called ‘The development, delivery, and evaluation of novel longitudinal empathy-focused communication skills training at a UK medical school’ and has been published in Patient Education & Counseling.