Does following a breast cancer patient for a day enhance medical student empathy?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that following a breast cancer patient for a day would enhance empathy in medical students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a theory-testing case study of 4th year medical students completing a one week clinical attachment in breast disease in a UK University teaching hospital, in which half were assigned to an intervention of 'Follow a Patient' for a day, and the other half were controls. Reflective writing produced by the students at the end of the week was analysed using grounded theory and thematic analysis. The results were then unblinded to explore possible differences between the two groups of students.

RESULTS: Thematic analysis of 52 student reflections identified 14 open codes which grouped into five global themes, one of which was 'Demonstrates Empathy'. A total of 20 students demonstrated empathy in their writing, 15/27 from the study group and 5/25 from the control group, a difference that was significantly different p  < .01.

CONCLUSIONS: This 'Follow a Patient' strategy is a useful model to include within an undergraduate curriculum to enhance medical student empathy.