Why might medical student empathy change throughout medical school? a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

Table 3 Themes

Analytical theme	Descriptive theme	Number of studies
Complexity	Complex patients	n = 10 [11,12,13, 40, 41, 44, 47, 55, 57]
Hidden curriculum	Stressful organisational culture	n = 15 [11,12,13, 40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 49,50,51, 53, 55, 57]
	Formal teaching	n = 11 [13, 40, 43, 44, 47,48,49,50, 53, 55, 57]
	Role models	n = 12 [11, 13, 40, 41, 44, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 57]
	Prioritisation of biomedical knowledge	n = 10 [11, 12, 40, 41, 44, 47, 49, 53, 55]
	Encouragement	n = 8 [11, 40, 41, 47, 50, 51, 53]
Acquired adaptations	Cynicism	n = 6 [12, 44, 47, 48, 51, 57]
	Desensitisation	n = 7 [12, 41, 43, 44, 48, 53, 55]
	Professional distancing	n = 9 [11, 12, 44, 47, 48, 53, 55, 57]
Capacity limits	Experience	n = 14 [11, 13, 40, 41, 44, 47,48,49,50,51, 53, 55, 57]
Capacity limits	Limits on emotional capacity	n = 7 [11, 13, 40, 41, 47, 48]

ISSN: 1472-6920