SynthesisBMC health services research2026
Communicating empathy sympathy and compassion in healthcare consultations: a systematic review of applied linguistic research.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Educational and Professional Development Interventions to Strengthen Empathy, Compassion, and Relational Care Among Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCommunicating with empathy is an essential skill for healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, current communication training curricula fail to show how empathy communication is done, hindering the effectiveness of this training. This systematic review synthesizes applied linguistic research that shows how empathy is communicated, and what functions empathy communication serves.
methodWe included research that analysed naturalistic recorded interactions between HCPs and patients in all healthcare settings. We systematically searched five databases for studies published in English up to August 2024. We analysed results and discussion sections of included studies using aggregative thematic synthesis.
resultsWe identified 1112 studies through systematic searches and included 43 studies in our review. We found eight categories of empathy communication: 1) naming emotions or characterising experiences, 2) sharing similar emotions or experiences, 3) compassionate witnessing and minimal response, 4) claiming or displaying understanding of patients' experiences and emotions, 5) displaying empathy multimodally, 6) response cries, 7) claiming of similar emotions or experiences, and 8) others. Regarding functions of empathy communication, we found four groups: 1) facilitating advice-giving or problem-solving, 2) assisting patients to work with emotions, 3) facilitating patient-centred care, 4) facilitating history-taking activities.
conclusionThe reviewed studies provide evidence that empathy communication can be seamlessly incorporated into healthcare consultations. Empathy enhances patient engagement, aids emotional expression, supports problem-solving and helps in situations where patients' and HCPs' views diverge, making it an essential component of healthcare.
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