"No Hard Feelings": Empathy Training for Nuclear Medicine Technologists: A Review and Methods of Improvement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author Type(s)

Faculty

Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

5-2021

Journal Title

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Department

Radiology

Abstract

Objectives: Empathy is the capacity of an individual to understand and share the feelings, emotions, or experiences of another person and to observe that person’s perspective. In a professional setting, particularly in health care departments during the COVID-19 pandemic, empathy becomes a necessary tool in the care of patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a new wave of stress, anxiety and fear has been experienced by all patients, which poses new challenges for health care professionals who work closely with patients on a daily basis. Here, we discuss the importance of empathy training of nuclear medicine technologists, and how we can better improve the experience and care of our patients through methods which implement empathy in the nuclear medicine department.

Methods: There are three components of empathy: cognitive, affective and behavioral. Cognitive refers to the ability to view the perspective of others; in other words, putting oneself in another’s shoes. The affective component refers to experiencing the feelings of others. The behavioral component involves communication to reflect understanding of another’s feelings; therefore, it must be perceived that one person understands another in a meaningful way. In empathy training, not all components are necessary to master in order to express empathy. Empathy can still be experienced by patients even if only one of the components are met. Empathy training is effective and can be enhanced through didactic training and experiential techniques, whereby the student gains insight and education about empathy through lectures on empathy theories, followed by experience, whether simulated or in the form of a game. Skill training is another effective method, whereby students are given a list of skills to learn, the skills are modeled for the students, and finally the students practice performing such skills.

Results: Nuclear medicine technologists should actively practice empathy in the workplace, which involves the action of active listening, framing, reflecting back to the patient, identifying emotions, and looking for feedback. Patients who interact with empathetic medical professionals feel understood, respected, and validated. This promotes patient satisfaction, enhances the quantity and quality of clinical data, improves adherence, and fosters better relationships. Conclusions: Empathy training is an essential and necessary component to the training of health care professionals, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients are scared and anxious, and using empathy training to our advantage may help alleviate these fears in our patients during such a difficult time. By implementing empathy training techniques, technologists will be better able to make patients comfortable and lessen fears during imaging.

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