Promoting empathy among medical students: A two-site randomized controlled study

Céline Buffel du Vaure; Cédric Lemogne; Lucie Bunge; Annie Catu-Pinault; Nicolas Hoertel; Christian Ghasarossian; Marie-Eve Vincens; Eric Galam; Philippe Jaury

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.10.008

Promoting empathy among medical students: A two-site randomized controlled study

J Psychosom Res. 2017 Dec:103:102-107. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.10.008. Epub 2017 Oct 17.

Authors

Céline Buffel du Vaure¹, Cédric Lemogne², Lucie Bunge³, Annie Catu-Pinault⁴, Nicolas Hoertel², Christian Ghasarossian⁵, Marie-Eve Vincens⁶, Eric Galam³, Philippe Jaury⁴

Affiliations

¹ Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Médecine Générale, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France; METHODS Team, Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité, Research Center UMR 1153, Inserm, 1 place du parvis de Notre Dame, 75004 Paris, France. Electronic address: celine.buffel-du-vaure@parisdescartes.fr.
² Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ouest, Service de Psychiatrie de l'adulte et du sujet âgé, 20 Rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France; Inserm, U894, Centre Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, 2 ter, rue d'Alésia, 75014 Paris, France.
³ Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Médecine Générale, 16 rue Henri Huchard, 75018 Paris, France.
⁴ Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Médecine Générale, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France; Société Médicale Balint, 10 Route de Thionville, 57140 Woippy, France.
⁵ Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Département de Médecine Générale, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France.
⁶ Société Médicale Balint, 10 Route de Thionville, 57140 Woippy, France; Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Département de Médecine Générale, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, 93017 Bobigny Cedex, France.

PMID: 29167035
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.10.008

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of Balint groups on empathy measured by the Consultation And Relational Empathy Measure (CARE) scale rated by standardized patients during objective structured clinical examination and self-rated Jefferson's School Empathy Scale - Medical Student (JSPE-MS©) among fourth-year medical students.

Methods: A two-site randomized controlled trial were planned, from October 2015 to December 2015 at Paris Diderot and Paris Descartes University, France. Eligible students were fourth-year students who gave their consent to participate. Participants were allocated in equal proportion to the intervention group or to the control group. Participants in the intervention group received a training of 7 sessions of 1.5-hour Balint groups, over 3months. The main outcomes were CARE and the JSPE-MS© scores at follow-up.

Results: Data from 299 out of 352 randomized participants were analyzed: 155 in the intervention group and 144 in the control group, with no differences in baseline measures. There was no significant difference in CARE score at follow-up between the two groups (P=0.49). The intervention group displayed significantly higher JSPE-MS© score at follow-up than the control group [Mean (SD): 111.9 (10.6) versus 107.7 (12.7), P=0.002]. The JSPE-MS© score increased from baseline to follow-up in the intervention group, whereas it decreased in the control group [1.5 (9.1) versus -1.8 (10.8), P=0.006].

Conclusions: Balint groups may contribute to promote clinical empathy among medical students.

Trial registration: NCT02681380.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Empathy / physiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Students, Medical / psychology*

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02681380