Medical Education > Empathy in Medicine >  Empathy in Patient Care

Empathy in Patient Care:
Antecedents, Development, Measurement, and Outcomes
by
Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D.

We are pleased to announce the publication of Empathy in Patient Care, an encyclopedic source of empathy in patient care. The book is based on years of empirical research by the author and his colleagues at Jefferson Medical College. It contains a foreword by Howard Spiro, M.D., a Personal Odyssey describing factors that prompted the author to study empathy in medicine, a Preface, and 12 chapters in two sections.

Section 1, Empathy in Human Relationships includes the following chapters: (1) Descriptions and Conceptualization; (2) Human Connection in Health and Illness; (3) An Evolutionary Perspective: Psycho-Socio-Physiology, Neuroanatomy, and Heritability; (4) Psychodynamics and Development; and (5) Measurement of Empathy in the General Population.

Section 2, Empathy in Patient Care includes these chapters: (6) A Definition and Key Features of Empathy in Patient Care; (7) The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy; (8) The Interpersonal Dynamics in Clinician-Patient Relationships; (9) Empathy As Related to Sex, Personal Qualities, Clinical Competence, and Career Choice; (10) Patient Outcomes; (11) Enhancement of Empathy; and (12) Parting Thoughts: A Paradigm of Empathy and Future Directions.

The following comments have been made about this book by experts and scholars:

“In Empathy in Patient Care, Dr. Mohammadreza Hojat expands on what we physicians do not see, but can only imagine. Basing his conclusions on data obtained by the research instrument he has utilized and perfected, Dr. Hojat doesn’t just talk about empathy, he measures it. Dr. Hojat wisely provides an agenda for future research ranging from selecting prospective medical students for their empathy to evaluating the neurobiological components of empathy and compassion. Hojat’s utopia wisely provides goals which medical practitioners and teachers can ponder and try to reach for in daily activities. We are in his debt." (Excerpts from the book’s Foreword), Howard Spiro, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine.

“This book is unique in combining an encyclopedic overview of empathy with a fine-grained, precise way of measuring it. Clinicians, researchers, students, and educators will find in this book both a resource for work already done and a blueprint for what still needs to be done.” Herbert Adler, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jefferson Medical College.

“This book is a scholarly achievement in the field of empathy. All will benefit from its comprehensiveness.” Joseph S. Gonnella, M.D., Emeritus Dean and Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College.

“This book is an outstanding contribution to the scholarly and clinical understanding of empathy. Most importantly, it combines conceptual rigor with an empirical foundation. Dr. Hojat has devoted himself to developing ways of measuring empathy, and in this book he combines his own findings with an encyclopedic knowledge of other relevant empirical work. This book will be important for any serious student of empathy, including medical educators who are seeking to truly transform professional training.” Jodi Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, University of California, Berkeley.
Author of "From Detached Concern to Empathy: Humanizing Medical Practice."

“Dr. Hojat has written a comprehensive book on the subject of empathy…This book should be essential reading for all those engaged in medical education. The author writes clearly and covers the broad area of empathy, with theoretical depth and practical suggestions based on his own research and that of others. He is a foremost leader in this field and his book sets a standard for all to follow.” Marvin Zuckerman, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Delaware.

For further information and ordering of this book visit http://www.springer.com/0-387-33607-9.

Reviews of the book have been published in the following journals:

The Croatian Medical Journal (April, 2007, 48, 271-275): http://www.cmj.hr/2007/48/2/CMJ_48(2)_21_BookRevs_Mohammadreza%20Hojat.%20Empathy%20in%20Patient%20Care.pdf

The New England Journal of Medicine (April 26, 2007, 356, 1792): http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/356/17/1792.pdf