Empathy with Patients in the Medical Education Program of Iran: Status and Training

Empathy is a cognitive but not emotional trait that consists of understanding (and not sensing), experiences, concerns and views of patients and the capacity to share this understanding. Some medical educationists believe that clinical education may have a negative effect on medical students and residents empathy and steps should be taken for teaching empathy to medical students. Our main aim in this study was to assess the status of empathy in Iranian medical education program and how it is taught within this program. In this regard, by investigating and studying this program, we found that although there are some brief references to empathy, no proper program has been suggested for reaching this goal. It seems that the medical students’ (and probably other healthcare personals) training programs should be revised in order to develop empathy in Iran’s healthcare system.