Authors

  1. Scales, Robert PhD

Article Content

The expression of empathy by a healthcare provider (HCP) is considered to be a key component in fostering a therapeutic relationship. This study investigated the feasibility of using the CARE Measure to assess relational empathy from a patient's perspective during a health education consultation in a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) setting. The CARE Measure is a 10-item questionnaire that is designed to assess the extent to which an HCP expresses empathy from a patient's perspective and it is based on a broad definition of empathy in the context of a therapeutic relationship during a consultation. The patient is asked to score the HCP for each item of the questionnaire on a 1-5 scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair 3 = good, and 4 = very good, 5 = excellent). One hundred sixty-two patients attending an outpatient CR program were given the CARE measure immediately following a 30-minute consultation with a health educator who was trained in motivational interviewing (MI). In a previous randomized controlled trial, we identified that compared with traditional CR, the addition of an MI-based intervention significantly enhanced multiple health-related behaviors in patients recovering from heart disease. Empathic listening is one essential and defining characteristic of MI. In this investigation, 57% of the patients completed the CARE Measure and the overall mean score was 47 out of a possible maximum of 50. It appears that it is feasible to use the CARE Measure with patients attending CR and that this measure may provide feedback for the HCP, at least from a patient's perspective, on the level of empathy being expressed during a consultation. It is recommended that future research includes an objective assessment of empathy and MI proficiency.