Association between tolerance for ambiguity specific to the clinical context and empathy in medical trainees: A multicenter cross-sectional study in Japan

Abstract

Purpose

Physicians’ empathy and ambiguity tolerance have recently become a focus of medical education. However, the association between the two concepts remains unclear. This study examined the association between empathy and ambiguity tolerance in the clinical context among medical trainees.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study in 12 institutions: 2 universities for medical students and 10 hospitals for residents. We assessed ambiguity tolerance using the Japanese version of the Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors scale. The outcome variable was empathy, measured using the Japanese translation of the Jefferson Scales of Empathy (JSE).

Results

Data from 100 medical students and 135 residents were analyzed. After adjustment for possible confounders, the factor scores of ‘tolerance for things that are not black or white in medicine’ showed a dose-dependent association with the JSE. There was no clear trend in the association between the total scores or other factor scores and empathy.

Conclusion

This nationwide multicenter study showed that the factor scores of ‘tolerance for things that are not black or white in medicine’ were associated with empathy among medical trainees. Our findings may be helpful for developing interventions in the field of medical education to nurture empathy.

Keywords:

• Tolerance for ambiguity
• empathy
• medical students
• residents

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Hirohisa Fujikawa

Hirohisa Fujikawa, MD, PhD, Assistant professor, Center for General Medicine Education, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Takuya Aoki

Takuya Aoki, MD, PhD, MMA, Associate professor, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Daisuke Son

Daisuke Son, MD, MHPE, PhD, Associate professor, Department of Community-based Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Tottori, Japan.

Mikio Hayashi

Mikio Hayashi, MD, PhD, Associate professor, Center for Health Professions Education, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan.

Masato Eto

Masato Eto, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Medical Education Studies, International Research Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.