Níveis de empatia em estudantes de medicina: uma análise em função do período da graduação e do perfil sociodemográfico

Abstract

Empathy is an ability linked to Emotional Intelligence (EI) that needs to be cultivated and directly interferes with the human being's ability to interact and relate to other people, being described in the literature as one of the most striking characteristics of great medical professionals. The present Academic Work of Course Completion (TACC) aims to investigate how the levels of empathy are manifested in medical students, from a private institution in northeastern Brazil, throughout their undergraduate course. This is a quantitative, analytical, observational and cross-sectional study. The research was carried out through the application of the Jefferson Medical Empathy Scale - version for students (JSPE-vs) and the correlation of the data obtained in the scale with the course period and sociodemographic profile of the students, in order to verify which correlations were show significant for the expression of levels of empathy in students and, if there is erosion of empathy during training. Data collection took place between the months of October and November 2020 and had 193 participants, including freshmen, intermediates and graduates of the medical course. The sampling used was for accessibility and convenience. As a result, there was no evidence of erosion of empathy levels throughout medical graduation, and female students and those who chose the course because they felt called to do so showed significantly higher levels of empathy. This can speak in favor of women being more empathetic and men more rational, and that the more confident students are of their vocation, the easier it will be for them to overcome frustrations, overcome adversities, deal with the profession without the cloak of idealization, maintaining a genuine interest in the patient and in alleviating human suffering. And because they are two variables prevalent in the sample, both may have positively influenced the result. As a product of this study, the MedCine Project was created, which brings cinema into the classroom as a powerful media-education tool that provides a broader view of the human being, helps in the formation of much more sensitive individuals, and thus, contribute to the apprehension of the real dimension included in person-centered care.