Empathy competence and future specialty among medical residents in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Empathy is essential for physicians to provide patient-centered care. Nevertheless, the degree to which empathy varies among medical residents based on their desired future specialty remains undetermined. This nationwide cross-sectional study compared empathy levels (Jefferson Scale of Empathy, JSE) of 824 year one and two postgraduate residents in Japan by intended medical specialty, individual characteristics, and training and working environment characteristics. Empathy levels were compared with applicants for general medicine, which emphasizes patient-centeredness. The highest mean JSE and the highest percentage of women residents were observed in general medicine (M = 109.74; SD = 14.04), followed by dermatology (M = 106.64; SD = 16.90), obstetrics and gynecology (M = 106.48; SD = 14.31), and pediatrics (106.02; SD 12.18). Residents interested in procedure-centered departments (e.g. ophthalmology, orthopedics) garnered lower JSE scores. Multivariate regression revealed that future general medicine candidates achieved the highest JSE scores ( β = 6.68, 95% CI 2.39–10.9, p = 0.002). Women achieved significantly higher JSE scores than men ( β = 2.42, 95% CI 0.11–4.73, p = 0.041). The results have implications for empathy training and postgraduate education strategy in different clinical specialties.