American Pain Society's 27th Annual Scientific Meeting (May 8 – 10, 2008): Empathy for Pain: Clinical Implications

While empathy has long been considered an attribute of value in the context of psychotherapy, recent years have witnessed increased attention to its role in the broader healthcare context. Secondary to advances in neuroimaging technology, attention to empathy in the field of pain has been stimulated by the identification of neural pathways that are activated when viewing another person experiencing pain. This symposium will examine emerging knowledge regarding empathy, particularly as it relates to the treatment of pain. Dr. Hojat will examine definitions of empathy, distinguishing it from sympathy. He also will address its assessment in healthcare providers and its role in clinical care. Dr. Craig will review behavioral and neurophysiologic data bearing on empathy for pain, as well as the adaptive value of such empathy. Further, he will outline the implications of empathy research for pain assessment. Dr. Tait will discuss the mediating role of empathy on clinical judgments of chronic pain. He will focus particularly judgments that are made regarding patients who have failed treatment.