Clinical empathy is a more specific and complex construct commonly used in the realm of medical education and patient care.
Clinical empathy is structured around four different dimensions:
(1) emotive; the ability to imagine others perspectives and emotions,
(2) moral; the motivation to empathize,
(3) cognitive; the ability to identify emotions and perspectives and
(4) behavioral; the ability to convey understanding.
Over the last twenty years, the recognition of empathy as a cognitive skill that can be taught and refined (and not a personality trait) has led to the creation and implementation of empathy curricula in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, including some live and online courses such as VitalTalk and Empathics. This is a major step in recognizing communication and other soft skills as fundamental for caring for people.
