Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption
The aim of this study was to estimate the level of empathy among primary care (PC) health professionals and its relationship with their approach to patients at risk due to alcohol consumption. This is an observational, descriptive, and multicenter study that included 80 PHC professionals. The profes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/262 |
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| author | Celia Pérula-Jiménez Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez Jessica Fernández-Solana José Ángel Fernández-García Juan Manuel Parras-Rejano Luis Ángel Pérula-de Torres Ana González-de la Rubia Josefa González-Santos Collaborative Group ALCO-AP20 Study |
| author_facet | Celia Pérula-Jiménez Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez Jessica Fernández-Solana José Ángel Fernández-García Juan Manuel Parras-Rejano Luis Ángel Pérula-de Torres Ana González-de la Rubia Josefa González-Santos Collaborative Group ALCO-AP20 Study |
| author_sort | Celia Pérula-Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this study was to estimate the level of empathy among primary care (PC) health professionals and its relationship with their approach to patients at risk due to alcohol consumption. This is an observational, descriptive, and multicenter study that included 80 PHC professionals. The professionals completed a questionnaire comprising socio-occupational questions and inquiries regarding their actions when dealing with patients suspected of risky alcohol consumption. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy was used to measure their level of empathy and was completed by 80 professionals, of whom 57.5% were family physicians, 10% were nurses, and 32.5% were family- and community-medicine residents. The mean age was 39.5 ± 13.1 (SD) (range of 24–65 years) and 71.3% were females. The mean empathy level score was 112.9 ± 11.1 (95% CI: 110.4–115.4; range: 81–132 points). Actions that stood out for their frequency were providing health advice in the general population, offering advice to pregnant women, and recommending abstinence to users of hazardous machinery or motor vehicles. The level of empathy was associated with age (<i>p</i> = 0.029), the health center’s scope (<i>p</i> = 0.044), systematic alcohol exploration (<i>p</i> = 0.034), and follow-ups for patients diagnosed with risky consumption (<i>p</i> = 0.037). The mean score obtained indicated a high level of empathy among professionals. Professionals with greater empathy more frequently conducted systematic screening for risky alcohol consumption. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:50:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-318f127cfe804330b23b9ac0c49c1984 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:50:06Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-318f127cfe804330b23b9ac0c49c19842024-01-26T16:48:18ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322024-01-0112226210.3390/healthcare12020262Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol ConsumptionCelia Pérula-Jiménez0Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez1Jessica Fernández-Solana2José Ángel Fernández-García3Juan Manuel Parras-Rejano4Luis Ángel Pérula-de Torres5Ana González-de la Rubia6Josefa González-Santos7Collaborative Group ALCO-AP20 StudyMaimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), Reina Sofia University Hospital, University of Cordoba, 14011 Cordoba, SpainMaimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), Reina Sofia University Hospital, University of Cordoba, 14011 Cordoba, SpainDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, SpainMaimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), Reina Sofia University Hospital, University of Cordoba, 14011 Cordoba, SpainCordoba and Guadalquivir Health District, 14001 Cordoba, SpainResearch Network on Chronicity, Primary Care and Prevention and Health Promotion (RICAPS-ISCIII), 08007 Zaragoza, SpainGeneral Emergencies Unit, Regional University Hospital, 29010 Malaga, SpainDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, SpainThe aim of this study was to estimate the level of empathy among primary care (PC) health professionals and its relationship with their approach to patients at risk due to alcohol consumption. This is an observational, descriptive, and multicenter study that included 80 PHC professionals. The professionals completed a questionnaire comprising socio-occupational questions and inquiries regarding their actions when dealing with patients suspected of risky alcohol consumption. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy was used to measure their level of empathy and was completed by 80 professionals, of whom 57.5% were family physicians, 10% were nurses, and 32.5% were family- and community-medicine residents. The mean age was 39.5 ± 13.1 (SD) (range of 24–65 years) and 71.3% were females. The mean empathy level score was 112.9 ± 11.1 (95% CI: 110.4–115.4; range: 81–132 points). Actions that stood out for their frequency were providing health advice in the general population, offering advice to pregnant women, and recommending abstinence to users of hazardous machinery or motor vehicles. The level of empathy was associated with age (<i>p</i> = 0.029), the health center’s scope (<i>p</i> = 0.044), systematic alcohol exploration (<i>p</i> = 0.034), and follow-ups for patients diagnosed with risky consumption (<i>p</i> = 0.037). The mean score obtained indicated a high level of empathy among professionals. Professionals with greater empathy more frequently conducted systematic screening for risky alcohol consumption.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/262empathyhealthcare professionalsprimary carealcohol consumptionclinical performanceJefferson Scale of Empathy |
| spellingShingle | Celia Pérula-Jiménez Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez Jessica Fernández-Solana José Ángel Fernández-García Juan Manuel Parras-Rejano Luis Ángel Pérula-de Torres Ana González-de la Rubia Josefa González-Santos Collaborative Group ALCO-AP20 Study Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption Healthcare empathy healthcare professionals primary care alcohol consumption clinical performance Jefferson Scale of Empathy |
| title | Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption |
| title_full | Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption |
| title_fullStr | Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption |
| title_full_unstemmed | Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption |
| title_short | Primary Care Professionals’ Empathy and Its Relationship to Approaching Patients with Risky Alcohol Consumption |
| title_sort | primary care professionals empathy and its relationship to approaching patients with risky alcohol consumption |
| topic | empathy healthcare professionals primary care alcohol consumption clinical performance Jefferson Scale of Empathy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/262 |
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