ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2022
The Relationship Between the Physician-Patient Relationship, Physician Empathy, and Patient Trust.
Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Empathy training in healthcare: an umbrella review.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- The effectiveness of Balint groups at improving empathy in medical and nursing education: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC medical education · 2024Pooled it
- The association between empathy and burnout in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC medical education · 2024Pooled it
- A model of contributors to a trusting patient-physician relationship: a critical review using a systematic search strategy.BMC primary care · 2024Pooled it
- Review of Muslim Patient Needs and Its Implications on Healthcare Delivery.Journal of primary care & community healthPooled it
- A randomised controlled trial of a lived experience and education-based weight bias intervention for Australian healthcare students.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Trial
- Dual attitudes toward doctors: the role of shared decision-making and empathy in frustrated medical treatment in a randomized trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Zoom Improv is accessible and enhances medical student empathy.BMC medical education · 2024Trial
- Race differences in patient trust and distrust from audio-recorded cardiology encounters.Patient education and counseling · 2024Trial
- Teaching empathy in Balint groups.The Libyan journal of medicine · 2026Article
- A scoping review on the use of virtual patients for enhancing empathy in medical students.Medical education online · 2026Article
- From Clinical Reality to Blueprint Designing: A Qualitative Study Exploring Communication Challenges and Unmet Needs for Patient Decision Aid Development in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.Psycho-oncology · 2026Observational
- Exploring the Interplay Between Emotions and Medical Decision-Making: Insights from an Empirical Patient-Centred Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Do Physicians CARE? Psychometric Validation of the Portuguese Self-Report Version of the CARE Measure.Evaluation & the health professions · 2026Article
- Trust As the Foundation for Informed Decision-Making in Prenatal Genetic Screening and Diagnostic Testing: A Qualitative Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Facilitators of good consultations in primary health care clinics in Botswana: a qualitative study of patients' and doctors' views.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Proxy patients' perceptions of genetic counselor empathy responses.Journal of community genetics · 2026Article
- Internal Medicine Residents' Challenges in Trauma-Informed Care and Impact on Patient Care: A Multiple-Methods Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Validation of the patient-doctor relationship questionnaire: a cross-sectional study among exit patients in Ghana.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- From Error to Insight: A Curriculum Tool for Resident Education in Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, and Adverse Event Disclosure.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2026Article
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA trusting physician-patient relationship is an essential component of high-quality care.
objectiveTo explore the relationship between the physician-patient relationship, physician empathy, and patient trust.
designCross-sectional survey.
participantsA total of 3289 patients (response rate 68.6%) from 103 hospitals in eastern, central, and western China completed surveys. MAIN MEASURE: Physician empathy, patient trust, and physician-patient relationship were measured by the Chinese version of Consultation and Relational Empathy Scale, Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale, and Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire, respectively. Bootstrapped mediation analysis was performed. KEY
resultsThere were moderate to strong correlations between physician empathy, patient overall trust, and patient trust in physician's benevolence and competence, and the physician-patient relationship (r = 0.49-0.75, P < 0.01 for all). Patients' evaluation of physician-patient relationship was predicted by their perception of physician empathy, patient overall trust, and trust in the physician's benevolence. Mediation analysis showed that the indirect effect of physician empathy on physician-patient relationship through patient overall trust was significant (β = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.15-0.21) and that the mediation effect of patient trust in physician's benevolence was significant (β = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.20-0.28), though the mediation effect of patient trust in physician's competence was not (β = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.02).
conclusionsPatients' perception of physician empathy influences their evaluation of the physician-patient relationship both directly and indirectly via patient trust in the physician's benevolence. These findings underline the importance of patient belief in physician benevolence and empathy in building trustful and harmonious relationships between physicians and patients.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.