Development of empathy among medical university students: contributing to the implementation of Russia's healthcare modernization program

The relevance of this research is driven by the need to improve the training of healthcare professionals who can effectively interact with patients and the general public under modern conditions of functioning health systems. The purpose of the work: To assess and investigate the dynamics of empathic abilities among medical students depending on their year of study. Material and methods: This study was conducted through surveys among dental faculty students and clinical interns at a medical university. In total, 859 respondents participated in the survey, including first-, third-, and fifth-year undergraduate students, as well as first- and second-year clinical interns. To evaluate the level of empathy, an adapted version of the “Emotional Response Scale” methodology was used, which allows determining participants' overall tendency towards experiencing others’ emotions and reacting to surrounding feelings. Surveys were carried out via an online platform that provided convenient access for participants and data collection. Results and discussion: A very high level of empathy (82 to 90 points based on survey results) was found among first-year students (1.9 %) and second-year residents (3.3 %). Fifth-year students have this indicator less frequently (1 %), while third-year students show no cases of extremely developed empathy et al. High levels of empathy (63 to 81 points) were most common among first-year students (14.1 %) and first-year residents (24.4 %). Fifth-year students are less likely to exhibit a high level of empathy (only 4.6 %), and third-year students do not appear in this category at all. The average level of empathy (37 to 62 points) varies slightly, with the highest frequency equally represented among first-year students and first-year residents (both 5.8 %). However, fifth-year students rarely fall into this category (just 1.9 %). Low levels of empathy (36 to 12 points) were observed exclusively among third-year students (4.6 %). Gender differences: Empathy develops differently between men and women during their education process. Men more often possess an average level of empathy initially (first year – 4.1 %; first two years of residency – 2.7 % and 2.9 %). Their higher empathy gradually increases, peaking in the second year of residency (10.5 %). Women demonstrate greater inclination towards high-level empathy from the start (9.3 % in the first year), which further rises by the second year of residency to 13.9 %. Very high empathy rates differ significantly: among women they increase from 1.4 to 3.1 %, whereas for men it remains stable around 1.7–1.9 %. Notably, second-year resident women show substantially higher empathy levels (3.1 %) compared to men (1.9 %). Conclusion: The study revealed uneven development of empathy among medical students of different ages and genders. Higher levels of empathy are characteristic of younger undergraduate students and second-year residents. Gender differences are evident: female students show greater growth in empathy throughout their training period, while changes in male students occur slower and are less pronounced. These findings suggest that individual characteristics should be taken into account when designing educational programs and methods aimed at developing professional qualities of healthcare professionals. The research outcomes can be utilized to optimize the educational process and create effective mechanisms for managing the quality of medical care delivery.