Empathy is the ability to understand another's experience, to communicate and confirm that

understanding with the other person and to then act in a helpful manner,"
Clinical empathy is an essential medical skill that can be taught and improved, thereby producing
changes in physician behaviour and patient outcomes.
howing clinical empathy to patients can improve their satisfaction of care, motivate them to stick to
their treatment plans and lower malpractice complaints
Openended !uestions, which allow patients to discuss their concerns freely, are widely considered an
efficient method gathering medical information from patients during a medical interview. "owever,
few studies have examined the relationship between the use of openended !uestions and the amount of
information obtained from patients during the medical interview. #his study examines this relationship
using a relatively large sample si$e under more standardi$ed conditions than in previous studies.
Open-ended questions re!uire more than a oneword response, such as a description or an
explanation. Openended !uestions prompt the interviewee to provide information without interviewer
biases. #hese types of !uestions generally begin with who, what, where, when, why, and how. %
statement may also begin with &#ell me about',( &)escribe for me',( or &Explain to me'(
*pecific measureable acheiveable result focused time bound