Listening for feelings: identifying and coding empathic and potential empathic opportunities in medical dialogues

Hilde Eide; Richard Frankel; Anne Christine Bull Haaversen; Kerstin Anine Vaupel; Peter K Graugaard; Arnstein Finset

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2003.09.006

Listening for feelings: identifying and coding empathic and potential empathic opportunities in medical dialogues

Patient Educ Couns. 2004 Sep;54(3):291-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2003.09.006.

Authors

Hilde Eide¹, Richard Frankel, Anne Christine Bull Haaversen, Kerstin Anine Vaupel, Peter K Graugaard, Arnstein Finset

Affiliation

¹ Faculty of Nursing, Oslo University College, P.O. Box 4, St. Olavs Plass, Oslo N-0130, Norway. hilde.eide@su.hio.no

PMID: 15324980
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2003.09.006

Abstract

The objective of the study was to validate the model of empathic opportunity (EO) and potential empathic opportunity (PEO) using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) in a sample of cancer patients. Thirty-nine audio taped consultations at an outpatient oncology clinic performed by four oncologists were previously coded with the Roter Interaction Analysis System for another purpose. These consultations were also coded by two raters with the empathic and potential empathic opportunity method (E-PE-O method). The reliability of EO and PEO coding was satisfactory. Most of the EOs were found within the RIAS category "showing concern". The PEOs were found in both the socio-emotional and the instrumental categories of the RIAS. We conclude that the E-PE-O method is a good starting point for studying the empathy process in oncology consultations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Validation Study

MeSH terms

Empathy*
Evaluation Studies as Topic*
Female
Humans
Male
Medical Oncology*
Middle Aged
Norway
Observation / methods*
Observer Variation
Physician-Patient Relations*
Reproducibility of Results