PATIENTS’ PERCEPTION OF RELATIONAL EMPATHY DURING PHYSIOTHERAPY CONSULTATION

Abstract

Background & Introduction: Empathy is considered as an integral part of therapist clinician relationship which improves the progression of treatment. Studies have been conducted on physiotherapist perception of empathy, but rarely has it been emphasised to gain the patients’ perception of empathy in a physiotherapy setting. This study explores patients’ perception on empathy during clinical consultation in a physiotherapy setting. Methods: Data was collected via CARE measurement scale. Patients were recruited from both private and public hospitals of Lahore city. Twenty-five patients were taken from each hospital. The patients were given the questionnaire to fill in the answers of the following items after taking consent. The sum was calculated to evaluate the scores of empathies. Results: Descriptive analysis showed that mean score of empathy among the following hospitals were such; University of Lahore (Mean = 31.72, S.D = 9.117), Mansoorah hospital ( Mean = 36.52, S.D = 6.758), General hospital (Mean = 30.04, S.D = 7.58), Jinnah hospital (Mean = 35.12, S.D = 7.114). An independent sample t-test was applied in order determine whether there is statistical evidence that the associated population means are significantly different. However, the results showed the variance in two samples were not statistically significantly different from each other. The resulting significance value was greater than 0.5 which was not statistically significant, meaning that the variances or the standard deviation were the same and our sample depicted the true value of the population and its results did not vary much from that of the population. Conclusion: Empathy perceived by the patient of their therapist was satisfactory and the difference in deliverance of empathy in private and public hospitals were on a smaller scale.