{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T13:35:47Z","timestamp":1786628147402,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Empathy is widely recognized as a core component of patient-centered care and an important professional competency for medical graduates. In India, the attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM) module was introduced within the competency-based MBBS curriculum to foster empathy, communication skills, and professionalism. However, limited qualitative evidence exists regarding students\u2019 experiences of empathy-focused teaching within this curriculum. This study explored medical students\u2019 perceptions and experiences of empathy-focused AETCOM sessions and their views regarding the teachability of empathy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>An exploratory qualitative descriptive survey was conducted among second-year MBBS students at a tertiary-care medical institute in June 2025. An anonymous online survey containing a single open-ended question\u2014\u201dWhat are your perceptions and experiences regarding the AETCOM classes focused on empathy?\u201d\u2014was administered following informed consent. Seventy-five students submitted written responses. Responses were reviewed independently by two researchers and organized into descriptive categories representing common patterns in participants\u2019 experiences and perceptions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Four broad categories were identified. Students generally perceived role-plays, simulations, patient narratives, and faculty experiences as valuable learning approaches. Participants described increased awareness of active listening, patient-centered communication, and patients\u2019 emotional concerns. Suggested improvements included greater use of interactive and practice-oriented teaching methods, shorter sessions, and incorporation of emotional resilience and self-care training. A small minority of students expressed reservations regarding the impact of empathy teaching and viewed empathy primarily as an innate personal attribute.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Students generally viewed empathy-focused AETCOM sessions positively, particularly when delivered through interactive and experiential approaches. The findings suggest that learner feedback may help inform the ongoing refinement of empathy-focused teaching within undergraduate medical education.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/ijcm.ijcm_674_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T07:00:16Z","timestamp":1786604416000},"page":"740-744","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring Medical Students\u2019 Perceptions of Empathy Training in The Indian Attitude, Ethics, and Communication Curriculum: An Exploratory Qualitative Descriptive Survey"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"51","author":[{"given":"Shruti","family":"Singh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, Bihar, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Kirubakaran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prashant Kumar","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, Bihar, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riya Ranjith","family":"Vaidyar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, Bihar, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kye Mon Min","family":"Swe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Punit","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Banas Medical College and Research Institute, Palanpur, Gujarat, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dheerendra Kumar","family":"Mishra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20260813","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1177\/2374373517699267","article-title":"The science of empathy","volume":"4","author":"Riess","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Patient Exp"},{"key":"R2-20260813","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-023-04054-1","article-title":"Using patient storytelling to improve 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