Encouraging Empathy Development in Medical Students Through Tweet Style Narratives About Patient Encounters

• In Event: Emotional Support and Development in the Professions

Abstract

Empathy is an essential clinical skill that must be preserved and promoted throughout medical education. Unfortunately, it has been found that empathy scores decline throughout the clinical years of medical school2 as well as during residency training and clinical practice. Creating methods to bring humanism back to the forefront and allow students the ability to develop perspective around patients’ human needs is important for ensuring empathy remains an important part of patient care. In this pilot study, we implemented a pedagogical tool of secure “tweet” style narrative reflections regarding patient care with fourth year medical students who rotated in an intensive primary care clinic.

Authors

• Lana Marie Minshew, Medical College of Wisconsin
  Presenting Author

• Kevin Kurtz
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mary Hoeschen, Medical College of Wisconsin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brian Hilgeman, Medical College of Wisconsin
  Non-Presenting Author