The hippocratic oath, or the pledge doctors take to “do no harm,” outlines how they are to do no harm. However a new study published in the the journal BMC Medical Education outlines that empathy, a core tenet of healthcare and one that studies have shown saves lives, is deliberately being taught out of doctors. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The Hippocratic Oath, or the pledge doctors take to do no harm, is a mainstay of a doctor's training.
00:05However, a new study published in the journal BMC Medical Education outlines that empathy,
00:10a core tenet to healthcare, and something studies have shown saves lives, is being taught out of
00:15doctors. ScientAlert reports that studies have shown empathetic responses to patients can reduce
00:20their pain and improve how they feel about the care they're getting in general. It also helps
00:24the doctors themselves, allowing them to more deeply engage with their patients and prevent
00:28their own burnout. So why is it being taught out of med students? Well, according to the researchers,
00:33med school inherently includes what they call a hidden curriculum. This teaches them to do away
00:37with their empathetic responses, as they deal with stressful workloads, a lack of peer support,
00:42and prioritization of biomedical knowledge, which the researchers say results in cynicism,
00:48distancing, and ultimately less empathy. Given that empathy has been historically shown to allow
00:52doctors to provide better care, the researchers also say there is a need for change. With regards
00:57to med school, a change which prioritizes the development of an empathetic hidden curriculum
01:02rather than one that trains empathy out of doctors.