Professional Distress and Meaning in Health Care: Why Professional Empathy Can Help

Social Work in Health Care
Eve Ekman, Jodi Halpern

Abstract

For human service care providers working in hospitals, balancing the motivation for interpersonal engagement with patients alongside self-protective emotional boundaries is a familiar struggle. Empathy is a critical, although not thoroughly understood, aspect of patient care as well as an important ingredient for feeling work satisfaction and meaning. However, empathy can lead to feelings of sympathetic emotional distress and even burnout. This article uses an illustrative case study from a medical social worker in the emergency room to explore these themes of empathy, burnout, and the search for meaning in work. The discussion examines areas for further empirical study and intervention to support care-provider empathy and avoid burnout.

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Citations

Dec 10, 2016·Medical Teacher·Eve Ekman, Michael Krasner
Nov 2, 2018·Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing : JHPN : the Official Journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association·Anne BruceSusan Breiddal
Mar 29, 2019·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Carter Hardy
Mar 24, 2018·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Riana J Betzler
Jun 14, 2019·Social Work·Juliana Rocha, Irene Palmares Carvalho
Apr 3, 2020·Nurse Education in Practice·Valerio SalvaraniMaria Grazia Strepparava
May 1, 2021·Healthcare·Artemisa R DoresIrene P Carvalho
Feb 10, 2018·Journal of Pain and Symptom Management·Liz ForbatJulie Kulikowski
Feb 17, 2017·Journal of Veterinary Medical Education·Jacqueline M Cardwell, Elisa G Lewis

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