When we talk about empathy, especially where the patient is involved, it can often feel as if the term is overused. But for our Founder, Mark Doyle, it is much more than just a nice to have but it is the ‘beating heart’ of what we do. Mark was recently invited to speak on the Not Just Patients podcast for a deep dive into the topic, explaining why empathy is a critical component from drug development all the way through the patient journey.
Empathy, the invaluable tool
In their podcast, Caitlin Rich, Clarinda Cerejo and Mark discuss how research shows the value of empathy in clinical settings with clear outcomes such as diagnostic accuracy, better medical adherence, and better patient outcomes. And there are clear results for professionals such as increased job satisfaction and reduced burnout. Whilst there are strong arguments for empathy, it is often not valued highly enough at organisational level. However, as immeasurable it is alone, we can begin to highlight its value through additional outcomes such as increased sales or other measurable ROIs, to ultimately justify investment – placing empathy as a secondary objective.
But the real question, as Mark puts it: “Can you imagine anyone saying that building empathy would be a bad idea?”.
Uncovering the full picture
A Life in a Day keeps the motto “Deeper Insights. Better Outcomes” at its heart. Empathy begins with understanding the complete patient experience and that means understanding the condition beyond just the disease.
Mark explores how this makes the 24-hour simulation so transformative and some of the outcomes other professionals have achieved with this unique viewpoint. And how A Life in a Day can be viewed as “the glue” that makes other initiatives truly meaningful.
The future
Listen to the full podcast to hear how Mark, Caitlin and Clarinda view the future of empathy in professional development and organisational success, but in the meantime, Mark’s advice is clear: if you are in a position of power, make empathy a priority. If you’re not, then lobby for it. The benefits, measurable and immeasurable, will follow.
