Sympathy is a word we can all define and use correctly in a sentence. It’s an expression of the feelings we have when something, or someone, we love passes away or experiences a tragedy that affects their life profoundly. It’s an act of sharing the feelings or having a deep understanding of the emotional pain the individual is experiencing at that time. It’s most often used when someone dies and you feel sympathy for the sadness they feel after losing their loved one.
Empathy is a word that confuses us because we don’t hear it used as often, and thus we are uneasy about using it in normal conversation. It has broader meaning, however, because when a person experiences empathy, they are placing themselves in touch with the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of the other person as if they were experiencing them themselves. It’s a closer, emotionally deeper, and more intimate feeling. If you’re sympathetic, you understand and care. If you’re empathetic, you feel it as if it were happening to you.
Empathy is an important element of the therapeutic alliance between physicians and their patients. If a patient perceives his physician is empathetic, it has been shown it is a “link[ed] to better clinical outcomes, improved prescribing practices, reduced healthcare costs, and stronger therapeutic alliances.” The patient is the important element here because if he feels the doctor is expressing empathy toward him and his dilemma, the results above will be realized.
So, what can the physician do to gain a patient’s perception of empathy? First, the physician must center his focus on listening closely to the patient, and the patient must feel the doctor has a clear understanding of his feelings. Second, the doctor must not rush the patient during the consultation or interrupt him, and give him ample time to ask questions, making certain both parties understand one another. Third, see, or consult with, the patient often enough to be thorough, establish a solid rapport, and be certain there are no loose ends that can disrupt that rapport. Last, involve the patient in decision-making and the development of a care plan. The patient must accept that the physician is “in charge,” but not in a paternalistic, blustering manner. It’s a joint effort.
These elements must be present for the patient to begin to perceive the physician is empathetic. Patients feel very much alone when they have a serious illness, and they want their physician to know that and be completely on their side. When the patient perceives that the physician is feeling empathy, the doctor-patient bond is strengthened, and the patient’s physical and emotional health are improved.
Reference: Lara A. Physician Empathy: Why Some Patients Feel Less Heard Medscape 2025 October 6.
