| Introduction: Clinical empathy ascertains the quality of doctorpatient relationship and entails beneficial outcomes for both
parties. Role-modeling is a major factor in promoting clinical
empathy skills of medical students. The present study attempted
to explain the importance of role-modeling in clinical empathy of
medical interns. It was also intended to obtain a better and more
profound understanding of the subject based on the experiences
of medical interns.
Methods: In this qualitative conventional content analysis, semistructured individual interviews were conducted with 14 medical
interns and 6 clinical professors. The participants were selected
by purposive sampling method. All interviews were recorded,
transcribed, and analyzed. Trustworthiness, credibility, and
confirmability of the data were confirmed.
Results: Data analysis led to the emergence of a theme called rolemodeling, and two subcategories: “advertent role-modeling” and
“inadvertent role-modeling”. Advertent role-modeling included
“influenced by the charismatic personality of professors”, “critique
of faculty members’ communicative behaviors with patients”, and
“observation of the faculty members’ performance”. Inadvertent
role-modeling included “crystallization of human values in
communication behaviors” and “compliance with hierarchical
behavior”.
Conclusion: Role-modeling was the main theme of the present
study. To improve clinical empathy skills, particular attention
should be paid to role-modeling. Informing clinical professors
and medical students on role-modeling, strengthening students’
empathetic behaviors by role model professors, and recruitment
of professors with strong communication skills are among the
recommended strategies of this study |