Abstract
Forty individuals with diabetes and three dietitians completed a questionnaire concerning their consultation. Empathy was examined using the Empathic Communication Coding System (ECCS) (Bylund & Makoul, 2002). The more empathic the professionals' response to emotional opportunities, the more satisfied patients were with their consultations (r = 0.41, d.f = 15, P = 0.05). There was a nonsignificant trend that the more empathic opportunities that arise during a consultation, the higher the agreement between patient and dietitian on what was discussed (r = 0.28, P = 0.07). The data also suggest that patients reported more autonomy support when they created more empathic opportunities during their consultation (r = -0.29, P = 0.07). This preliminary study suggests that professionals' responses to empathic opportunities may be a useful component of dietetic consultations.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 3 |
Pages (from-to) | 181-185 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISSN | 0952-3871 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2005 |
Keywords
- Communication
- Diabetes
- Dietetics
- Empathy
- Satisfaction