Understanding and Using Empathy

About this activity

This session describes empathy and encourages you to explore its use in the clinical setting. This session was reviewed by Esther Waterhouse and Christina Faull and last updated in January 2015 Objectives By the end of this session you will be able to: Define the term empathy Contrast the terms empathy, sympathy and pity Describe an empathic statement Examine the use of empathy in communication with patients and their families, and your colleagues Assess your confidence around putting empathy into practice