Table 1.
Principle component analysis of items in the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy with communalities (h2) of each item (n = 853)*†
| No. | Item | Factor 1 | Factor 2 | Factor 3 | h2 | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | I believe that empathy is an important therapeutic factor in medical treatment. | 0.65 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.46 | 6.03 | 1.03 |
| 14‡ | I believe that emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness. | 0.64 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.43 | 6.05 | 1.14 |
| 16 | Physicians' understanding of the emotional status of their patients, as well as that of their families is one important component of the physician-patient relationship. | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.43 | 5.90 | 1.00 |
| 12‡ | Asking patients about what is happening in their personal lives is not helpful in understanding their physical complaints. | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.37 | 5.90 | 1.17 |
| 11‡ | Patients' illnesses can be cured only by medical or surgical treatment; therefore, physicians' emotional ties with their patients do not have a significant influence in medical or surgical treatment. | 0.59 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.36 | 5.60 | 1.39 |
| 7‡ | Attention to patients' emotions is not important in history taking. | 0.58 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.30 | 5.90 | 1.28 |
| 2 | Patients feel better when their physicians understand their feelings. | 0.55 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.34 | 6.50 | 1.24 |
| 19‡ | I do not enjoy reading non-medical literature or the arts. | 0.54 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.39 | 6.50 | 1.24 |
| 13 | Physicians should try to understand what is going on in their patients' minds by paying attention to their non-verbal cues and body language. | 0.51 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.32 | 5.88 | 1.03 |
| 10 | Patients value a physician's understanding of their feelings which is therapeutic in its own right. | 0.48 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.39 | 5.78 | 1.00 |
| 1‡ | Physicians' understanding of their patients' feelings and the feelings of their patients' families does not influence medical or surgical treatment. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 5.57 | 1.44 |
| 15 | Empathy is a therapeutic skill without which the physician's success is limited. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 5.50 | 1.37 |
| 8‡ | Attentiveness to patients' personal experiences does not influence treatment outcomes. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 5.61 | 1.27 |
| 17 | Physicians should try to think like their patients in order to render better care. | 0.00 | 0.69 | 0.00 | 0.44 | 4.75 | 1.49 |
| 9 | Physicians should try to stand in their patients' shoes when providing care to them. | 0.00 | 0.53 | 0.00 | 0.38 | 5.56 | 1.35 |
| 5 | A physician's sense of humor contributes to a better clinical outcome. | 0.00 | 0.51 | 0.00 | 0.30 | 4.90 | 1.33 |
| 4 | Understanding body language is as important as verbal communication in physician patient relationships. | 0.00 | 0.43 | 0.00 | 0.28 | 5.84 | 1.13 |
| 6‡ | Because people are different, it is difficult to see things from patients' perspectives. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.72 | 0.58 | 4.65 | 1.53 |
| 3‡ | It is difficult for a physician to view things from patients' perspectives. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.68 | 0.48 | 4.57 | 1.44 |
| 18‡ | Physicians should not allow themselves to be influenced by strong personal bonds between their patients and their family members. | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.32 | 3.36 | 1.56 |
| % of variance | 22.17 | 9.93 | 9.41 | ||||
| Alpha | 0.79 | 0.44 | 0.37 | ||||
* The factor label components are as follows: F1, compassionate care; F2, perspective taking; F3, emotional detachment
† The factor pattern coefficients of 0.40 and below were replaced by zeros
‡ Items were reverse scored (strongly agree = 1, strongly disagree = 7)