Empathy in the shadow of technology
As the project coordinator from the MUW side, Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz of the MUW Psychological Counseling Center and coordinator of the University Counselling Services, explains, modern health care is increasingly focused on technology, efficiency and rapid decision-making. While these advances have improved diagnosis and treatment, they have simultaneously reduced the time and emphasis on building human relationships. As a result, many healthcare professionals lack the right tools to form and reinforce empathy, and find it difficult to maintain an empathetic attitude in their interactions with patients.
“Empathy fatigue”
Medical workers may also experience “empathy fatigue” - emotional exhaustion due to intense involvement in helping others, which leads to a decreased ability to respond empathetically, loss of motivation and emotional distancing.
- This phenomenon can be an early sign of professional burnout. Supporting students to develop empathy and prevent empathy fatigue is therefore essential to improve patient care and the well-being of health care workers - says Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz.
What does an empathetic university mean?
An empathetic university is an institution that creates an environment where empathy is not just a declared value, but realistically manifests itself in teacher-student relations, administrative decisions and in the daily working atmosphere. It recognizes the importance of the psychological well-being of its students and employees, takes care to ensure their psychological safety while learning and working, consciously supports the development of emotional competence, and creates a space for reflection, dialogue and mutual support.
- The ERUDiTE project supports just such an approach, promoting empathy as the foundation of modern medical education and organizational culture - adds Dr. Łazarewicz - And the involvement of MUW staff in the ERUDiTE project will enable the implementation of the project's ideas into the Polish medical education system and direct support for students at our university.
Tools for learning empathy in medical education and health care
The ERUDiTE project is developing, among other things:
- Empathy Handbook - a practical guide to developing an empathetic attitude in the health care professions,
- ERUDiTE online platform - a tool that enables self-examination of empathy levels and provides access to interactive educational materials on empathy,
- modern empathy curriculum - a set of teaching modules to support academic staff and students in the development of empathy,
- A set of recommendations for policymakers - proposals for action at the institutional level to promote empathy in education and organizations.
About the ERUDiTE project
ERUDiTE or Empathy Raising in Universities through Digital Tools and Education is implemented within the framework of the Erasmus+ program in cooperation with: University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest, the University of Tübingen and the University of Cyprus.
In addition to Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz, the project team also includes: Dorota Włodarczyk, MD, PhD, Head of the Psychological Counseling Center MUW and the Department of Clinical Health Psychology UCC MUW, Katarzyna Moszczyńska from the Department of Clinical Health Psychology UCC MUW, and Hanna Wojtasik from the International Relations Office MUW.
ERUDiTE website, where you can follow the effects of the project
Facebook of the ERUDiTE project
LinkedIn of the ERUDiTE project