Nerdrum P
Avdeling for forskning og videregående studier, Norges kommunal- og sosialhøgskole, Oslo.
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1994 May 10;114(12):1421-3.
Empathy is an important part of a doctor's repertoire in his or her professional work with patients. It is also an element of a person's ability to understand other persons. Empathic capacity is developed in early childhood, but is based on biological mechanisms. Emotions communicate important sides of people's psychological state. To understand emotional communication, the helper himself must have a certain degree of empathic capacity. Patients treated by empathic doctors are more satisfied with the treatment and are more likely to follow the doctor's advice than patients treated by less empathic doctors. Higher levels of empathic communication with patients can be learned through participating in specific educational programmes.
同理心是医生在其与患者的专业工作中全部技能的重要组成部分。它也是一个人理解他人能力的要素。同理能力在幼儿期形成，但基于生物机制。情绪传达了人们心理状态的重要方面。为了理解情绪交流，帮助者自身必须具备一定程度的同理能力。与缺乏同理心的医生治疗的患者相比，由有同理心的医生治疗的患者对治疗更满意，也更有可能听从医生的建议。通过参加特定的教育项目，可以学会与患者进行更高水平的同理交流。
