Effectiveness of empathy in general practice: a systematic review

• Frans Derksen, retired GP

• Jozien Bensing, PhD

• Antoine Lagro-Janssen, MD, PhD, GP

Meta Study

Abstract

"This literature review explores the effectiveness of empathy in general practice. Effects that are discussed are: patient satisfaction and adherence, feelings of anxiety and stress, patient enablement, diagnostics related to information exchange, and clinical outcomes."

Benefits

• Improvement of patient satisfaction

• Improvement of patient adherence

• Decrease of anxiety

• Decrease of distress

• Better diagnostics

• Better clinical outcomes

• More patient enablement

+ patient satisfaction

+ patient adherence

+ diagnostics

+ clinical outcomes

+ patient enablement

- patient anxiety

- patient distress

Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, The Netherlands

Netherlands Institute for HealthServices Research and Utrecht University, The Netherlands