Healthcare Services and Empathy: A Portrait of the Pharmacy Students on Determining the Empathy Levels

Year 2024, Volume: 44 Issue: 3, 228 - 233, 01.09.2024

Bilge Sözen Şahne , Leyla Yumrukaya , Uğur Yaman , Selen Yeğenoğlu

https://doi.org/10.52794/hujpharm.1393180

Abstract

Empathy is defined as a fundamental tool to improve the healthcare professional-patient bond and understanding of both patient and other professionals which enhances the healthcare professional’s experience. The empathetic attitude of the pharmacist could be a key element in effective interaction and this skill can be improved with various methods. In this study, it is aimed to reveal whether pharmacy education has an effect on the level of empathy by comparing the opinions of the students and their empathy levels. The validated Turkish version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) questionnaire was used to reveal the participants’ empathy level. 311 students participated in the survey from 699 students and 306 of them were included in the analysis. According to the scale scores’ mean of students, a statistically significant difference was found only in terms of gender. Additionally, whether they had an internship or not did not make a significant difference on empathy levels. Pharmacy students’ technical skills in providing therapeutic recommendations may be negatively affected by their inability to communicate or engage with patients due to their lack of empathy. To prevent this, empathy as a teachable ability could be involved in the pharmacy education curriculum with various practices and techniques.

Keywords

Empathy, Pharmacy education, Pharmacy students, Soft skills

SAĞLIK HİZMETLERİ VE EMPATİ: ECZACILIK ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN EMPATİ DÜZEYLERİNİN BELİRLENMESİNE İLİŞKİN BİR PORTRE

Abstract

Empati, sağlık profesyoneli-hasta bağını geliştiren ve hem hasta hem de diğer profesyoneller arasındaki anlayışı geliştiren ve sağlık profesyonelinin deneyimini artıran temel bir araç olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Eczacının empatik tutumu etkili etkileşimde anahtar unsur olabilmekte ve bu beceri çeşitli yöntemlerle geliştirilebilmektedir. Bu çalışmada öğrencilerin görüşleri ile empati düzeyleri karşılaştırılarak eczacılık eğitiminin empati düzeyine etkisinin olup olmadığının ortaya çıkarılması amaçlanmaktadır. Katılımcıların empati düzeyini belirlemek için Empati Ölçeğinin (EQ) Türkçe versiyonu kullanılmıştır. Ankete 699 öğrenciden 311 öğrenci katılmış ve bunlardan 306'sı analize dahil edilmiştir. Öğrencilerin ölçek puanlarının ortalamasına göre sadece cinsiyete göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık bulunmuştur. Ayrıca staj yapıp yapmamalarının da empati düzeylerinde anlamlı bir farklılık yaratmadığı görülmüştür. Eczacılık öğrencilerinin terapötik öneriler sunmadaki teknik becerileri, empati eksikliğinden dolayı hastalarla iletişim kuramamaları veya onlarla etkileşim kuramamaları nedeniyle olumsuz etkilenebilmektedir. Bunu önlemek için öğretilebilir bir beceri olan empatinin çeşitli uygulama ve tekniklerle eczacılık eğitimi müfredatına dahil edilmesi sağlanmalıdır.

Keywords

Empati, Eczacılık eğitimi, Eczacılık öğrencileri, Teknik olmayan beceriler

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