Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42418812›Full record

ReviewInternal medicine journal2026

Safeguarding medical empathy and cultivating compassion in contemporary medicine.

Wai Chung Tse, Theodore Ajluni, Christian Chene, Deborah Leach, Michelle Leech

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Internal medicine journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wai Chung TseDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2068-883X
Theodore AjluniDisease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1225-8324
Christian CheneDepartment of Medicine, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Deborah LeachMonash University School of Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Michelle LeechMonash University School of Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Empathy and compassion are both fundamental to patient-centred care, enhancing satisfaction, adherence and outcomes while improving clinician well-being. However, certain aspects of medical culture may put these emotional qualities at risk. The preclinical-to-clinical transition exposes students to hierarchical structures, time constraints and performance expectations prioritising technical competence over interpersonal skills. Negative role modelling, rushed consultations and inadequate emotional support normalise emotional detachment. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified burnout and moral injury, while societal desensitisation through social media compounds these effects. Although medical humanities programmes show promise, meaningful change requires addressing both curricula and clinical environments through structured reflection, compassion-focused training and recognising empathy fatigue as an occupational hazard, reaffirming medicine's ethical foundations.

Indexed as

COVID-19Education, MedicalEmpathyStudents, MedicalBurnout, ProfessionalCompassion FatigueHumansPhysician-Patient Relationsburnoutcompassion trainingmedical educationmedical professionalism

Identifiers

PMID42418812
PMCPMC13547880

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.