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Jean S. Kutner, MD
Denver, Colo

Arch Intern Med. 1996;156(14):1582-1586.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

I am writing in response to the commentary "Empathy Revisited."¹ Gianakos¹ offers a convincing argument for the importance of empathy in the physician-patient relationship. I agree with the author that physicians "do not necessarily have the total answer to the patient perceived problem unless they understand the patient values and beliefs...."¹ Empathy, however, is not synonymous with understanding patient values and beliefs. I would argue that the physician does not need empathy to truly help a patient. Physicians can understand patient values and beliefs without imagining that they are the patient. In fact, it may be arrogant to believe that we, as physicians, can truly empathize with a patient without having been in the patient's situation. Empathy does not guarantee that a physician is able to "determine whether the patients' opinions about what is best for them seems reasonable."¹ If the physician were truly empathetic, he . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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