META-ANALYSIS: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EMPATHY AND PATIENT SATISFACTION OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Abstract

Background: Empathy is a characteristic of patient-physician communication that forms the backbone of the patient-physician relationship. Studies show a good correla­tion between physician empathy and patient satisfaction and a direct positive relation­ship with strengthening patient enablement. Empathy lowers patients’ anxiety and distress and delivers better clinical outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the asso­ciation between empathy and patient satisfaction with healthcare services.

Subjects and Method: This meta-analysis was conducted using a PRISMA flow diagram. The articles were searched using keywords based on the PICO research question. Population: Patient. Intervention: Good empathy. Comparison: Poor empathy. Outcome: Patient satisfaction. The articles were searched from 3 databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Keywords used "service quality" AND "patient satisfaction" AND "hospital" AND "health facility" AND "cross-sectional". The inclusion criteria included a full-text paper, cross-sectional study, multivariate analysis with adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR), and published from 2017 to 2022. The articles were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3.

Results: The meta-analysis included 9 primary studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the United States of America, and Brazil. Patients experiencing good empathy were 1.43 times more likely to be satisfied than poor empathy, and it was statistically significant (aOR= 1.43; 95% CI= 1.00-2.03; p=0.001).

Conclusion: Good empathy increases patient satisfaction by 1.43 times compared to poor empathy.

Keywords: patient, satisfaction, empathy

Correspondence:

Dewi Utary. Master’s Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami no. 36A Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: sydneydewi01@gmail.com. Mobile: +6287839291063.