Building empathy awareness in undergraduate traditional Chinese Medicine students via an undercover ‘mystery shopper’ experience

Dean, S; Razavy, S; Walsh, S; Zaslawski, C; Levett-Jones, T; Cant, R

Building empathy awareness in undergraduate traditional Chinese Medicine students via an undercover ‘mystery shopper’ experience

Dean, S

Razavy, S

Walsh, S

Zaslawski, C

Levett-Jones, T

Cant, R

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Publisher:: Elsevier
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Advances in Integrative Medicine, 2021, 8, (4), pp. 267-271
Issue Date:: 2021-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Dean, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9044-2982
dc.contributor.author	Razavy, S https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6336-0626
dc.contributor.author	Walsh, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7033-8547
dc.contributor.author	Zaslawski, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5618-5161
dc.contributor.author	Levett-Jones, T https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4279-8957
dc.contributor.author	Cant, R https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5430-3275
dc.date.accessioned	2021-12-29T00:15:57Z
dc.date.available	2021-12-29T00:15:57Z
dc.date.issued	2021-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Advances in Integrative Medicine, 2021, 8, (4), pp. 267-271
dc.identifier.issn	2212-9588
dc.identifier.issn	2212-9596
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152556
dc.description.abstract	Objective: To measure empathy within the therapeutic relationship between fourth year Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) intern practitioners and their patients, who are first-year students within the same program. Methods: An observational design was used to examine the interns’ empathic communication, evaluated by first year students ‘mystery shoppers’ using the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure (CARE). First year TCM students went undercover to experience a clinical treatment (acupuncture) by a fourth-year intern in a public Chinese Medicine clinic attached to a metropolitan university in Sydney, Australia. Results: Thirty-nine consultations were assessed by 39 undercover shopper students. The Intern practitioners’ consultation and relational empathy was rated as a mean 76.4% (38.2 points of a possible 50 (median 78%; 39); range 24–50. Significant response differences were found between female and male interns with males rated higher. The underlying elements are presented and discussed. Conclusion: The intern practitioners’ level of empathy averaged 76.4% which is consistent with empathy ratings for international studies of healthcare students. Results showed that males were rated higher for empathy than females, indicating further studies examining the specific behaviours that characterise empathy of different genders would be a useful addition to knowledge and assist teaching.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof	Advances in Integrative Medicine
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.aimed.2021.08.002
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1104 Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1111 Nutrition and Dietetics, 1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.title	Building empathy awareness in undergraduate traditional Chinese Medicine students via an undercover ‘mystery shopper’ experience
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	8
utslib.for	1104 Complementary and Alternative Medicine
utslib.for	1111 Nutrition and Dietetics
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2021-12-29T00:15:56Z
pubs.issue	4
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	8
utslib.citation.issue	4

Abstract:

Objective: To measure empathy within the therapeutic relationship between fourth year Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) intern practitioners and their patients, who are first-year students within the same program. Methods: An observational design was used to examine the interns’ empathic communication, evaluated by first year students ‘mystery shoppers’ using the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure (CARE). First year TCM students went undercover to experience a clinical treatment (acupuncture) by a fourth-year intern in a public Chinese Medicine clinic attached to a metropolitan university in Sydney, Australia. Results: Thirty-nine consultations were assessed by 39 undercover shopper students. The Intern practitioners’ consultation and relational empathy was rated as a mean 76.4% (38.2 points of a possible 50 (median 78%; 39); range 24–50. Significant response differences were found between female and male interns with males rated higher. The underlying elements are presented and discussed. Conclusion: The intern practitioners’ level of empathy averaged 76.4% which is consistent with empathy ratings for international studies of healthcare students. Results showed that males were rated higher for empathy than females, indicating further studies examining the specific behaviours that characterise empathy of different genders would be a useful addition to knowledge and assist teaching.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152556