Empathy among male and female medical professionals: A cross-sectional study

Background: The measurable index for selflessness in medical professionals is empathy with patients. Thus, the relationship between a doctor and a patient is mainly based on empathy. Several studies measured the empathy scores before and after medical education and there are ambiguous results. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess the empathy among medical professionals in a tertiary care institute in North-east India. Materials and Methods: Three hundred undergraduate students were part of the study. Willing participants were recruited for the study. The standard tool to assess the empathy JSE-S was used in the study. This tool consists of 20 questions. Results: The empathy scores of female participants were significantly higher compared to male participants (P