Physician Empathy and Compassion for Inmate-Patients in the Correctional Health Care Setting

The authors investigated empathy and compassion among physicians who work in correctional settings. A questionnaire was sent to two groups: correctional and noncorrectional physicians. Correctional physicians reported gratification in helping patients and responded similarly to noncorrectional physicians on empathy items. They also showed greater interest in their patients' conditions. But physicians who worked exclusively in corrections reported lower scores on items that assessed specific components of empathy, particularly emotional resonance and intrinsic curiosity about the patient as an individual. Thus, correctional physicians display empathy and compassion just as noncorrectional physicians do; yet differences may exist. Correctional physicians may not be as emotionally attuned to their patients and may display less curiosity about their feelings. Therefore, their work satisfaction may not be derived from the interpersonal component of medical care.