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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Nov 9;20(1):412.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02316-w.

Balint groups and narrative medicine compared to a control condition in promoting students' empathy

Cédric Lemogne  1   2   3 , Céline Buffel du Vaure  4   5 , Nicolas Hoertel  6   7   8 , Annie Catu-Pinault  4   9 , Frédéric Limosin  6   7   8 , Christian Ghasarossian  4 , Claire Le Jeunne  6   10 , Philippe Jaury  4   9
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Balint groups and narrative medicine compared to a control condition in promoting students' empathy

Cédric Lemogne et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Background: The perceived importance of clinical empathy may decline among students during medical training. Several interventions have been shown to be effective in promoting or preserving medical students' empathic abilities, such as empathy skills training or Balint groups. Although narrative medicine training shares some features with these interventions, no randomized study to date examined the efficacy of narrative medicine training. This study aimed to assess the effects of Balint groups and narrative medicine training on clinical empathy measured by the self-rated Jefferson's School Empathy Scale - Medical Student (JSPE-MS©) among fourth-year medical students.

Methods: Students who gave their consent to participate were randomly allocated in equal proportion to Balint groups, narrative medicine training or to the control group. Participants in the intervention groups received either seven sessions of 1.5-h Balint groups or a 2-h lecture and five sessions of 1.5-h narrative medicine training from October 2015 to December 2015. The main outcome was the change in JSPE-MS© score from baseline to one week after the last session.

Results: Data from 362 out of 392 participants were analyzed: 117 in the control group, 125 in the Balint group and 120 in the narrative medicine group. The change in JSPE-MS© score from baseline to follow-up was significantly higher in the Balint group than in the control group [mean (SD): 0.27 (8.00) vs. -2,36 (11.41), t = 2.086, P = 0.038]. The change in JSPE-MS© score in the narrative medicine group [mean (SD): - 0.57 (8.76)] did not significantly differ from the changes in the control group (t = 1.355, P = 0.18) or the Balint group (t = 0.784, P = 0.43). Adjusting for participants' characteristics at baseline, Balint groups remained associated with better outcomes compared to the control group (β = 2.673, P = 0.030).

Conclusions: Balint groups may promote clinical empathy to some extent among medical students, at least in the short run.

Keywords: Balint groups; Empathy; Medical education; Narrative medicine; Physician-patient relations; Students, medical.

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Conflict of interest statement

CL intervened as a teacher during the 2-h lecture of the narrative medicine training. CBV and PJ were involved in the organization of the Balint groups. CLJ supported the implementation of the narrative medicine training at Paris Descartes Faculty of Medicine as vice-dean for education. ACP and PJ are members of the French Balint Society and intervened as facilitators during Balint groups. The other authors had no role in the Balint groups or in the narrative medicine training.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of the present study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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