We are constantly being reminded, and remind our students in turn, that we must have empathy for our patients, not sympathy. What is the difference? Oxford Languages defines empathy as ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’, i.e., the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes, while defining sympathy as ‘feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune’. I can understand the subtle nuances, and perhaps explain them to another adult.
October 2023, volume 47, No 10