Empathy in professionals at the first level of health care. Havana, 2025

Abstract

Objective: To identify the level of empathy among healthcare professionals at the primary care level in Havana province.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study was conducted to measure the level of empathy among professionals at polyclinics in the municipalities of Marianao, Centro Habana, and Arroyo Naranjo in Havana, from January 2025 to June 2025. The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, validated in the Cuban context, was used. Participants were characterized according to sociodemographic variables and their overall empathy levels, as well as their cognitive and affective dimensions.

Results: The research revealed that 40.6% of the professionals studied received an overall rating of "Poor," only 21.8% received an excellent rating, and 19.8% received a "Good" rating. Analysis of the empathy dimensions showed that for the cognitive dimension, 28.7% of respondents scored between excellent and good (21.8%), but it should be noted that 30.7% scored "Poor." For the affective dimension, the highest percentage was rated as "Poor" in the components of Compassionate Care and Empathy, with 49.5% and 42.6% respectively.

Conclusions: The application of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy to healthcare professionals in Havana showed unsatisfactory empathy results. Identifying the level of empathy is novel in the Cuban context and has high social relevance, providing valuable data for improving clinical practice and implementing training interventions for healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Empathy; Professionals; Health.