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“Our difficulty to perceive the experience of others, is all the more pronounced the more distant these experiences are from ours in time, space or quality” -G Mate
Genuine empathy with a patient is rare, when it occurs is isn’t always the best tool to support others.
Genuine empathy with a patient is rare, when it occurs is isn’t always the best tool to support others.
Empathy is experienced on a personal level. It can cause distress and sadness to us. It also can happen involuntarily leading to a sudden loss of focus on the patient. You may validate their concern but make no further progress due to personal reveries, often unpleasant.
Empathy may narrow your ability to “take a step back” and maintain interdependence in the consultation.
You may become dependent on a shared experience as your source of knowledge and lose objectivity. The focus may shift from being therapeutic.
You may become dependent on a shared experience as your source of knowledge and lose objectivity. The focus may shift from being therapeutic.
Empathy is a very powerful tool but maintaining professionalism and protecting your own emotional well-being is important. Advocacy for a patient based on personal empathy needs to be done carefully. Run it by a trusted colleague first, be open to advice though.
Compassion can be thought of as empathy in action. This is less of a visceral understanding of the patients feelings/situation based on personal experience.
Instead, compassion is an altruistic approach based on the feelings evoked by the patient and their situation.
Instead, compassion is an altruistic approach based on the feelings evoked by the patient and their situation.
You can be compassionate without understanding how a patient feels.
Sympathy and concern are examples of compassionate feelings. Unlike empathy, being compassionate entails not only acknowledging the issue but also expressing a genuine motivation to help.
Sympathy and concern are examples of compassionate feelings. Unlike empathy, being compassionate entails not only acknowledging the issue but also expressing a genuine motivation to help.
Compassion is less likely to evoke negative emotions in health care professionals, meaning less stress and less burn out.
Importantly compassion is more likely to produce an unbiased outcome especially as part of multidisciplinary team working.
Importantly compassion is more likely to produce an unbiased outcome especially as part of multidisciplinary team working.
Empathy reflections
Bound by experience so can exclude others in the room.
May pull the focus away from the patient.
Often decreases with time and use. We may literally use up our stores of empathy and become “hardened”
Bound by experience so can exclude others in the room.
May pull the focus away from the patient.
Often decreases with time and use. We may literally use up our stores of empathy and become “hardened”
Compassion reflection
Accessible to all in the room
Directs focus onto patient/family
Tends to have a positive feedback effect and so strengthens with time and use.
Accessible to all in the room
Directs focus onto patient/family
Tends to have a positive feedback effect and so strengthens with time and use.
When you experience true empathy it can catch you out. It is an affective experience, deeply personal and human.
Empathy should not be resisted or attempts made to ignore it, however a self awareness of when it occurs can help us develop empathy into compassionate action.
Empathy should not be resisted or attempts made to ignore it, however a self awareness of when it occurs can help us develop empathy into compassionate action.
Having compassion for ourselves is the first step to putting it into action with patients.
Looking after our own well-being is the foundation on which we can build therapeutic compassionate treatment of our patients.
Looking after our own well-being is the foundation on which we can build therapeutic compassionate treatment of our patients.
