Empathy in Clinical Nutrition: A Qualitative Study of Students, Interns, and Dietitians’ Perspectives

Introduction: Empathy is the cornerstone of patient-centered care. Empathy is not included in the competencies leading to the Registered Dietitian exam. It has been widely studied in various fields of healthcare but has yet to be thoroughly explored and described in the context of clinical nutrition. This study aimed to understand how empathy currently functions in the context of clinical nutrition, through the education, training, and early practice continuum. Methods: This constructivist-interpretivist qualitative study of semi-structured interviews employed content and narrative methods to analyze the perspectives of students (n=7), interns (n=10), and early-career dietitians (n=12) on the construction and function of empathy in clinical nutrition. Results: Themes formed in this study encompassed empathy components (affective, cognitive, moral, and behavioral), empathy growth during didactic courses and internships, the roles of positive and negative empathy in burnout, and the need for additional empathy instruction and experience throughout the education, training, and practice continuum. Discussion: Despite prior research indicating that empathy declines during the education and training of pre-health professions, clinical students and interns prioritize and utilize different components along the education and training continuum, and dietitians use all empathy components in their practice. Empathy should be included in the education and training of future dietitians to both improve their communication skills and to protect against potential burnout.

Author dc:creator

• Amy T. McNeil (7359431)

• Health Sciences
• Nutrition

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.31451350.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31451350