Abstract
Objective: To carry out a systematic review of the literature on current strategies used for teaching empathy in medical graduation. Methods: Articles were searched in the PubMed, Scielo and Eric databases. Descriptors: (Empathy) AND (Teaching or academic training or educational technic or educational technics or teaching method or teaching methods) AND (Medical student or medical students or student, medical). Articles published in English or Portuguese were included; from 2016; with medical students; and the word “Empathy” in the title. The data were extracted by two reviewers independently, considering: name of the article, year / country of publication, sample, intervention used, empathy assessment instrument, results and conclusion. Results: 16 articles selected and classified in: ‘’Art’’- theatre, literature, cinema and image interpreting; ‘’Reflection’’ group or individual reflective activities about a medical consultation; ‘’Communication Course” included courses or workshops on empathic communication; “Interaction with the Patient” interaction with real patients, virtual patients, actors or through role-play; and "Technology" with virtual strategies. Conclusion: Empathy can be taught, with the most effective strategies being those that address emotional and cognitive aspects. Combined and longitudinal teaching methods suggest that they are more beneficial for the consolidation of learning.