M.S Hashempor - Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine, Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center & School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
M.A Karami - Dentist

Background & Aims: Empathy plays an important role in patient’s relationship with his/her dentist or doctor. One of the most used tools for evaluation of empathy is the Jefferson Scale of Physician EmpathyHealth Professionals Version (JSPE-HP). The aim of this study was to validate the JSPE-HP for use among Iranian population. Methods: The English original version of the JSPE-HP questionnaire was translated into Persian language by a forward–backward translation method. Reliability was tested on ۳۰ Dental and Medical students. Then validity and internal consistency were tested on ۵۵۴ students. Results: The reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of the JSPE-HP was excellent (alpha: ۰.۸۳). The coefficient of test re-test reliability measured by ICC (Intra class correlation coefficient) was ۰.۸۲ (CI ۹۵%: ۰.۸۰-۰.۸۷). Freshman students had higher scores than other students and this difference was significant (P=۰.۰۳). There was no significant difference on empathy scores between Dental and Medical students. Conclusion: The overall findings of this study indicate that the Persian version of the JSPE is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating physician-patient empathy in Iranian Population

Physician-patient relation, Empathy, Questionnaire, Cross-cultural comparison, Iran