Jefferson Scale of Empathy

What is the Jefferson Scale of Empathy?

The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) is a widely used tool designed to measure empathy practicing healthcare professionals and medical students. Developed by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University, this scale employs a seven-point Likert scale to assess individuals' empathetic orientation by evaluating their ability for perspective-taking and understanding patients' emotional states.

Through confirmatory factor analysis, the JSE measures components of empathy, a crucial component for providing compassionate care, fostering positive patient outcomes, and promoting patient-centered care. Preliminary psychometric data and systematic reviews attest to the scale's measurement properties, including construct validity and criterion-related validity (Hojat et al., 2018).

The JSE contributes to medical education research, influences medical practice, and emphasizes clinical competence and empathy in patient care. Practicing health professionals also benefit with awareness from the JSE, as higher scores are associated with improved interpersonal skills and patient satisfaction. Overall, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy is crucial in evaluating and fostering empathy within the healthcare profession, ultimately contributing to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

How does this Jefferson Scale of Empathy template work?

The Jefferson Scale of Empathy has three versions: a scale for medical students (S-version), for health care professionals (HP-version), and for health professions students (HPS-version). Our template is the HP-version, and the steps to use this Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy are as follows:

Step 1: Administration

Designed as a self-report instrument, the respondents complete the questionnaire independently. It is available in paper-based and electronic formats, accommodating different preferences and situational requirements. You can download a copy through this guide or through Carepatron's template gallery.

Step 2: Scoring and interpretation

Respondents are instructed to rate statements using a seven-point scale. Certain items in the questionnaire are reverse-scored to ensure unbiased responses. After completing the questionnaire, the total empathy score is derived, presenting an overall measure of empathic orientation.

The scores are then interpreted to determine the level of empathetic orientation. Higher empathy scores represent a more profound empathic orientation in the caregiver-patient relationship, suggesting a higher potential for fostering therapeutic relationships.

Step 3: Application

JSE findings can evaluate empathy at an individual or group level and inform interventions to improve empathy especially in doctor-patient interactions.

Scoring and interpretation

The empathy score for an individual is calculated from the responses to the 20 items. First, reverse score items 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19. This means a rating of 7 becomes strongly disagree, and 1 means strongly agree. Apply reverse scoring as follows:

• 7 → 1
• 6 → 2
• 5 → 3
• 4 → 4 (remains unchanged)
• 3 → 5
• 2 → 6
• 1 → 7

Sum all the scores. The empathy score can then range from 20 to 140. Higher values indicate a higher degree of empathy. As healthcare evolves, the JSE remains a helpful tool in fostering empathic, patient-centered care.

When would you use this template?

The Jefferson Scale of Empathy is useful in various situations within the healthcare ecosystem, providing valuable insights into the empathetic dimensions of caregiving. Here are some specific scenarios where this resource becomes particularly useful:

• Medical professionals: The JSE is an effective tool for practicing physicians, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare workers or family medicine professionals to evaluate their empathetic engagement in patient interactions. It can help identify potential areas for improvement, contributing to enhanced patient rapport, patient perceptions, and care quality.
• Medical education: The JSE is incredibly useful within medical education. It allows educators to track changes in students' empathy levels throughout their training, providing tangible data to measure personal growth and the impact of their curriculum.
• Healthcare research: Researchers can employ the JSE to study the correlation between healthcare providers' empathy and patient outcomes. This can further inform strategies to foster empathy within healthcare settings.
• Recruitment and training: Human resources and training departments within healthcare institutions can use the JSE as part of their recruitment process or ongoing professional development programs. This can help ensure they cultivate a workforce with a strong capacity for empathy.
• Evaluation of interventions: The JSE can be an effective tool for assessing the impact of various educational or professional development interventions on enhancing empathy levels among healthcare professionals or students.

Using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy in these scenarios to improve clinical outcomes helps stakeholders within the healthcare field foster an environment where empathic care becomes a quantifiable and improvable aspect of the caregiving process. This ensures that empathy, a vital component of patient-centered care, is not overlooked when pursuing medical excellence.

Benefits

The Jefferson Scale of Empathy offers several healthcare and medical education benefits. One key advantage is its ability to measure empathy levels among healthcare professionals, providing valuable insights into their capacity for understanding and connecting with patients.

The JSE is widely used in medical education to assess and enhance empathy skills among medical students, fostering the development of compassionate and patient-centered care.

Additionally, the scale contributes to research by offering a standardized and reliable tool for studying empathy in healthcare contexts. Its use can improve patient satisfaction and communication between healthcare providers and patients, ultimately enhancing the quality of care in medical settings.

The JSE's widespread acceptance and use is proof of its importance as a valuable instrument for promoting empathetic practices in the healthcare field.

Reference

Hojat, M., DeSantis, J., Shannon, S. C., Mortensen, L. H., Speicher, M. R., Bragan, L., LaNoue, M., & Calabrese, L. H. (2018). The Jefferson Scale of Empathy: a nationwide study of measurement properties, underlying components, latent variable structure, and national norms in medical students. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 23(5), 899–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-018-9839-9