O foco deste estudo está nas possíveis transformações na relação de poder estabelecida entre médico e paciente representada em três comunidades virtuais com tema em saúde-doença. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualiquantitativa com uso da técnica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo (DSC), o que possibilita a construção de discursos coletivos distintos que expressam as representações sociais de uma coletividade. Como resultado é possível verificar: (i) porque as pessoas participam de comunidades virtuais; (ii) como as pessoas participam; (iii) como se organizam essas comunidades; (iv) quais tipos de informações são mais buscados; (v) quais conteúdos informacionais existem nos fóruns de discussão (vi) como se dá a interação entre integrantes da comunidade; (vii) como as relações de poder estabelecidas entre médico e paciente são tratadas nas comunidades; (viii) identificação de possíveis transformações na relação de poder estabelecida entre médico e paciente. Conclui-se que a maior parte dos integrantes das comunidades analisadas está em um nível associativo-participativo de compartilhamento das informações e experiências. Esse nível, apesar de não se constituir em ação de cooperação e prática de produção coletiva, permite aos integrantes se tornarem pacientes mais ativos em seus processos de saúde e doença. Os resultados sugerem que o princípio ético da autonomia está, legalmente e na prática, mais fortalecido, contribuindo com a constituição de um indivíduo integrante, interativo, mais autônomo / Possible changes in the power relationship established between doctor and patient represented in three online communities which address the subject of health and illness is the focus of this study. This is a qualitative and quantitative research using the Collective Subject Discourse (DSC), which allows the construction of separate collective discourse, which expresses the social representations of a collectivity. As a result, it is possible to verify: (i) why people participate in such virtual communities , (ii) how people participate, (iii) how those communities are organized, (iv) what types of information are most searched, (v) which information exist in those discussion forums (vi) how community members interact, (vii) how the power relations established between doctor and patient are treated in these communities, (viii) identification of possible changes in the relationship established power between doctor and patient. We conclude that most members of the communities studied are in an associative-participatory level regarding information and experiences sharing. This level, though is not considered as an action of mutual cooperation and collective production practice, allows members of such communities to become more active as patients in their processes of health and disease. The results suggest that the principle of autonomy is, legally and in practice, more energized, contributing to the constitution of an individual, integral, interactive, and increasingly autonomous

Thyroid disease, a chronic illness, affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and is more common among women than in men. Numerous factors make diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in women challenging. The standard blood test for diagnosing thyroid disease and determining treatment effectiveness is inconsistent in its accuracy. Many women with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or struggle with symptoms even once receiving treatment. Although thyroid disease is highly prevalent among women and the doctor-patient relationship is known to influence treatment outcomes, there is a gap in the literature regarding the treatment experiences of women with thyroid disease and the doctor-patient relationship. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore female thyroid patients' experiences of treatment and the doctor-patient relationship. Sixteen female thyroid patients, ages 18 and older and members of an international online support group, were individually interviewed via online chat. Data interpretation was guided by social constructionism and feminist theory and was accomplished via Moustakas's analytic method. Themes related to the doctor-patient relationship were identified, including the culture of the medical profession, diagnostic bias, and gender differences in communication. Emergent themes included patient education level, patient self-advocacy behaviors, and the use of natural thyroid medication. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by enhancing doctors' understanding of thyroid disease in women and the influence of the doctor-patient relationship in determining positive treatment outcomes, thus equipping doctors with enriched knowledge for providing their female thyroid patients with the highest quality of care.

Uterine Fibroids, medically termed uterine leiomyoma, are benign tumors of smooth muscle cells that grow in the uterus. While they are the most common pelvic neoplasm in women and fewer than 1 percent of fibroids develop into cancer, uterine fibroids can cause infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and greatly affect one’s quality of life. Black women have been disproportionately affected by fibroids; when compared to white women, Black women are: 2-3 times more likely to have fibroids, diagnosed at a younger age, more likely to have 7 or more fibroids, more likely to have more severe and more troublesome symptoms (anemia, severe pelvic pain, constipation, and stomach aches), and have twice as many hysterectomies due to fibroids. Black women’s disproportionate affliction with uterine fibroids is particularly concerning given the historical medical injustices associated with Black women’s bodies and reproductive rights from slavery to present day. By placing Black women at the center of analysis and using a Black feminist epistemological framework, this study aims to make a unique contribution to medical sociology as well as literature on the theoretical and practical management of sickness and wellness among Black women in the United States. Using qualitative interviews and grounded theory methodology, the study examined how Black women frame the condition of having uterine fibroids. Specifically, the study investigated a) how Black women conceptualize having fibroids, b) how Black women’s conceptualizations of fibroids affect their feelings about selves or their lifestyles, c) the mechanisms, if any, by which Black women deal with uterine fibroids, d) how their multiple race, class, and gender identities affect their illness experiences and types of treatment that they seek, and e) how conventional and complementary/alternative medicine shapes Black women’s experiences with fibroids. Conceptualizations about fibroids are rooted in the race-gendered histories of Black women and the unique stressors that they face. Through interactions with doctors and among peers, Black women resist the unbearable burden of uterine fibroids through various coping strategies, but generally “keep it moving”. They avoid invasive surgeries through patient agency by being advocates for their medical treatment, self-researching, dialoguing with others, and directing doctor-patient interactions.

The recent expansion of general practitioner (GP) out of hours cooperatives indicates that many British GPs see this as the solution to managing out of hours work, particularly the 'problem' of 'inappropriate' demand. This thesis investigates the highly contentious subject of 'inappropriateness' of demand for out of hours GP services for children under five, and develops a methodology that allows for a reconceptualisation of the issues involved based on the beliefs, assumptions and practices of all those concerned, rather than locating the 'problem' within the province of parents alone, or within the doctor-patient relationship as a bounded system. Using a predominantly sociological and anthropological conceptual framework, the thesis draws on a synthesis of views and practice, bringing those of professionals and parents together with fieldwork observations based in the primary care centre setting. It suggests that contrary to talk about management of the 'problem' in technical, bureaucratic and medical terms, this becomes a moral issue in practice. Scientific or organisational imperatives disguise largely moral proscriptions and examples illustrate ways in which moral and emotional dimensions embedded within these social relations can conflict with particular forms of rationality. The analysis shows how organisational initiatives that fail to take account of such moral frameworks can produce unexpected and unintended consequences. The thesis illustrates the value of what is described as a dialogic process, taking account of the fluidity between voices, layers of time and space, and interchange between researcher, participants, and future audiences. The play of these issues in the rapid and extensive growth of cooperatives is discussed in the wider context of the rhetoric of consumerism and shifts in interprofessional practices and relationships. Negotiation of 'appropriate' supply of and demand for out of hours services has had a major impact on government initiatives for primary care as a whole. Thus key elements in the formation of cooperatives, originally targeted at a more narrow conceptualisation of problems, can be seen as expressing a deeper impetus for change, and serving as vehicles for more fundamental and rapid development.

This study examines the way people use online resources within their personal healthcare practices to better understand how individuals manage their health issues in the age of the Internet. It specifically addresses the extent to which the Internet is used as an information database and associated patterns of use, whether the Internet represents a source of support or enables a supportive encounter and the implications of using the Internet as part of the health management across relationships with medical professionals and oneself. Using a sequential mixed methods design, the data was gathered within a larger multidisciplinary research project conducted in East York, Ontario. An initial quantitative analysis of 350 surveys describes Internet usage. The qualitative analysis of the 86 follow-up interviews of people recounting their personal health management processes demonstrated the importance of social networks, subjective health status and Internet user-style. The facile ability to engage with health information is transforming definitions and experiences of health and relationships with medical professionals. Examining medical encounters mindful of the aspects of trust, power, knowledge and privilege reveals an evolution to the doctor-patient relationship brought about by both information and personal empowerment. Using the Internet reinforces primary relationships and points to the development of new relationships that are sought at moments of meaningful life events or circumstances. New types of connections are being built across the Internet based on shared experiences, health concerns and health identities. Applying Actor Network Theory furthers an understanding of how search engines and online resources can emerge as actors in health information seeking and health management processes. Internet use is now a part of everyday life and is no longer limited to affluent early adopters as the gaps between those with access diminish in urban Canada. While its use is becoming intrinsically linked to health management it is not a panacea for improving health outcomes. As the populations’ collective health knowledge increases, so does the presumption that health management is a personal imperative. This notion that the achievement of good health is an individual responsibility or the theory of Healthism, frames the interpretation of the large percentage of the sample indicating they are striving to become healthier. Social workers need to acknowledge the place of the Internet within its practice and to balance the emphasis on individualized health management with the perspective that health outcomes reflect community mores. It is important for social workers to treat the Internet as a medium of relationships and for social workers to become knowledgeable about what these connections can provide in terms of support and information and what the limitations and risks of these relationships can be.

This study examines the way people use online resources within their personal healthcare practices to better understand how individuals manage their health issues in the age of the Internet. It specifically addresses the extent to which the Internet is used as an information database and associated patterns of use, whether the Internet represents a source of support or enables a supportive encounter and the implications of using the Internet as part of the health management across relationships with medical professionals and oneself. Using a sequential mixed methods design, the data was gathered within a larger multidisciplinary research project conducted in East York, Ontario. An initial quantitative analysis of 350 surveys describes Internet usage. The qualitative analysis of the 86 follow-up interviews of people recounting their personal health management processes demonstrated the importance of social networks, subjective health status and Internet user-style. The facile ability to engage with health information is transforming definitions and experiences of health and relationships with medical professionals. Examining medical encounters mindful of the aspects of trust, power, knowledge and privilege reveals an evolution to the doctor-patient relationship brought about by both information and personal empowerment. Using the Internet reinforces primary relationships and points to the development of new relationships that are sought at moments of meaningful life events or circumstances. New types of connections are being built across the Internet based on shared experiences, health concerns and health identities. Applying Actor Network Theory furthers an understanding of how search engines and online resources can emerge as actors in health information seeking and health management processes. Internet use is now a part of everyday life and is no longer limited to affluent early adopters as the gaps between those with access diminish in urban Canada. While its use is becoming intrinsically linked to health management it is not a panacea for improving health outcomes. As the populations’ collective health knowledge increases, so does the presumption that health management is a personal imperative. This notion that the achievement of good health is an individual responsibility or the theory of Healthism, frames the interpretation of the large percentage of the sample indicating they are striving to become healthier. Social workers need to acknowledge the place of the Internet within its practice and to balance the emphasis on individualized health management with the perspective that health outcomes reflect community mores. It is important for social workers to treat the Internet as a medium of relationships and for social workers to become knowledgeable about what these connections can provide in terms of support and information and what the limitations and risks of these relationships can be.

O desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação em médicos tem sido apontado como uma necessidade e uma competência fundamental para o exercício da medicina. A empatia é uma habilidade interpessoal que pode ser descrita como a capacidade de compreender o ponto de vista e os sentimentos de uma outra pessoa sem julgá-los e de comunicar esse entendimento de modo que a pessoa que fala se sinta verdadeiramente compreendida pela pessoa que ouve. Essa habilidade promove um senso de validação na pessoa que fala, especialmente em situações de conflito, reduzindo a probabilidade de rompimento e fortalecendo os vínculos interpessoais. A empatia dos médicos é atribuída à sua educação pessoal, sendo raro o desenvolvimento dessa competência social durante o curso de formação médica. O desconhecimento sobre essa habilidade e sua função no exercício profissional motivou a realização deste estudo sobre a empatia em médicos que atuam em diferentes contextos de atenção à saúde no município do Rio de Janeiro. Participaram desta pesquisa 75 profissionais, dos quais 25 atuavam no nível da Atenção Primária, composto por equipes de saúde da família e por centros municipais de saúde; 12 pertenciam a unidades mais especializadas que correspondem ao nível de Atenção Secundária e 38 trabalhavam nos ambulatórios de hospitais universitários da Atenção Terciária. Foi aplicado o Inventário de Empatia (I.E.), que avalia os quatro fatores que compõem a habilidade empática: 1) Tomada de Perspectiva: capacidade de compreender o ponto de vista e os sentimentos da outra pessoa; 2) Flexibilidade Interpessoal: capacidade de aceitar perspectivas muito diferentes das próprias; 3) Altruísmo: capacidade de suspender temporariamente as próprias necessidades em função do outro; 4) Sensibilidade Afetiva: sentimento de compaixão e de preocupação com o outro. Os resultados mostraram que o grupo avaliado obteve médias semelhantes às apresentadas nos dados normativos do I.E. nos fatores Tomada de Perspectiva e Flexibilidade Interpessoal, enquanto superou a média no fator Altruísmo e ficou abaixo da média no fator Sensibilidade Afetiva. Esses dados indicam que a amostra de médicos avaliada possui uma capacidade mais acentuada de sacrificar suas próprias necessidades para atender ao outro, ainda que não associada necessariamente a um sentimento de compaixão equivalente. Isto pode estar relacionado com a reduzida importância dada ao aspecto emocional na formação médica. Em relação à avaliação da empatia por contexto de atenção em saúde, não foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os grupos com exceção do fator Tomada de Perspectiva. Neste componente, os médicos do Programa Saúde da Família destacaram-se significativamente do grupo de Atenção Secundária, o que parece estar relacionado com a proximidade do profissional com o contexto de vida do paciente e com a educação continuada que recebem através de treinamentos e capacitações onde são valorizadas as habilidades de comunicação desses profissionais. A partir desses resultados propõe-se que o desenvolvimento da empatia seja incluído nos cursos de formação médica e no planejamento das condições de trabalho nos diversos níveis de atenção à saúde. / The development of communication skills of physicians have been argued as a necessity and a fundamental competence for medical professional exercise. Empathy is an interpersonal ability that may be described as the capacity to comprehend another persons point of view and feelings without judging them and to communicate this comprehension in a way that the speaker feels truly understood by the listener. This ability promotes a validation sense on the speaker, especially in conflict situations, reducing the probability of breaking off and strengthening interpersonal ties. Physicians empathy is attributed to personal education, being rare the development of this social competence along the medicine graduation course. Unknowing about this ability and its function on professional exercise has motivated the realization of this study on empathy of physicians that work in different contexts of health care system in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The participants of this research were 75 physicians, who 25 worked at Primary Health Care level, composed by teams of Family Health Program and by physicians of ambulatory units; 12 belonged to more specialized units, which correspond to the Second Health Care level and 38 worked at universities hospitals of the Third Tier of Health Care. The Inventory of Empathy (I.E.) was applied, assessing the four factors that compose the empathic ability: 1) Perspective Taking: capacity of comprehending other persons point of view and feelings; 2) Interpersonal Flexibility: capacity of accepting perspectives very different from ones perspective; 3) Altruism: capacity of suspending temporary ones necessities for the other; 4) Emotional Sensibility: feeling of compassion and comprehension of the other. The results show that the assessed group has means similar to the ones presented in the normative data of the I.E. on the factors Perspective Taking and Interpersonal Flexibility while it has overtaken the mean of the factor Altruism and has undertaken the mean of the factor Emotional Sensibility. These data suggest that the physicians assessed have higher capacity of sacrificing their own necessities for attending the other, though it was not necessarily associated to an equivalent compassion feeling. This may be related to the reduced importance of emotional aspect in medical graduation. On the assessment of empathy by contexts of health attention, it was not found a significant difference between the groups, but the factor Perspective Taking. On this component, the physicians of Family Health Program have been significantly detached from the group of Second Health Care, what seems to be related to the physicians proximity of the patients life context and to the continuous education that they receive through trainings in which the communication skills of these professionals are highly valued. With these results, it is proposed that the development of empathy should be included in medical training and on the working conditions plans of all health attention levels.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-08-30Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:59:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nakamoto_ps_me_botfm.pdf: 542514 bytes, checksum: b9c66c060bb33cb166412fcd8ae7a9f1 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Os hospitais de ensino têm sido estimulados a transformarem-se em um serviço que recupere a dimensão essencial do cuidado: a relação entre humanos exaltada na Política Nacional de Humanização (PNH). O estudo da humanização no processo de desenvolvimento do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) é relevante e sua observação em um pronto socorro de hospital universitário pertinente, pois este funciona como um centro do sistema de saúde, atraindo para si uma enorme demanda, que muitas vezes sobrecarrega os seus serviços. O Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (HC-FMB) recebe pacientes de todos os níveis de complexidade, sendo o seu pronto socorro, uma das referências à DRS-VI para procedimentos de alta complexidade em urgência/emergência e um local de tensão e sobrecarga de atendimento. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a humanização no Pronto Socorro do HC-FMB sob a perspectiva dos profissionais de saúde. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa em que foram entrevistados oito médicos, uma enfermeira e uma psicóloga, que refletem posições frente à realidade, momentos do desenvolvimento e da dinâmica social, preocupações e interesses próprios, característicos de uma pesquisa social da qual emergem contradições e conflitos do cotidiano de trabalho. A análise dos discursos permitiu a elaboração de núcleos temáticos sobre os quais são apresentados os resultados: a) Pronto Socorro e ambiência: espaço físico inadequado que compromete o atendimento e contrapõe-se ao conceito de ambiência proposto pelo Ministério de Saúde; b) Pronto Socorro e seus usuários: embora tenha havido uma reorganização da unidade que deixou de ser uma porta de entrada de livre acesso, o PS ainda atende a casos de baixa complexidade e pacientes de todos os níveis sociais, devido à carência de outros serviços de urgência na região... / The teaching hospitals have been stimulated to become a service that recovers the essential part of care: the relationship among human beings mentioned in the National Humanization Policy. The humanization study in the development process of Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) (Brazilian public health system) is relevant and the observation of the system in a university teaching hospital pertinent, because it functions as a health care center, attracting to itself great demand, which often overloads its services. The Clinical Hospital from Botucatu Medical School (CH from BMS) receives patients of all levels of complexity, and its emergency department is a reference to the DRS-VI for high complex procedures in emergency/urgency and a place of tension and overload of care. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the humanization of the emergency department of the CH from BMS through the eyes of the health professionals. This is a quantitative research into which eight doctors, a nurse and a psychologist were interviewed; who reflect their position towards the reality, moments of development and the social dynamics, concerns and personal interests, typical of a social research from which emanate contradictions and conflicts of the daily work. The analyses of the interviews allowed the elaboration of theme centers through which the results are presented: a) Emergency Department and environment: inappropriate physical space which compromises the care and opposes the environment concept proposed by the Ministry of Health; b) Emergency Department and its users: even though there has been a reorganization of the department, which is no longer a free access entrance, the emergency department still cares for cases of low complexity and patients of all social levels, due to the lack of other emergency services in the area; c) Emergency Department, care space: the unit overload is justified... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Resumo: Os hospitais de ensino têm sido estimulados a transformarem-se em um serviço que recupere a dimensão essencial do cuidado: a relação entre humanos exaltada na Política Nacional de Humanização (PNH). O estudo da humanização no processo de desenvolvimento do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) é relevante e sua observação em um pronto socorro de hospital universitário pertinente, pois este funciona como um centro do sistema de saúde, atraindo para si uma enorme demanda, que muitas vezes sobrecarrega os seus serviços. O Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (HC-FMB) recebe pacientes de todos os níveis de complexidade, sendo o seu pronto socorro, uma das referências à DRS-VI para procedimentos de alta complexidade em urgência/emergência e um local de tensão e sobrecarga de atendimento. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a humanização no Pronto Socorro do HC-FMB sob a perspectiva dos profissionais de saúde. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa em que foram entrevistados oito médicos, uma enfermeira e uma psicóloga, que refletem posições frente à realidade, momentos do desenvolvimento e da dinâmica social, preocupações e interesses próprios, característicos de uma pesquisa social da qual emergem contradições e conflitos do cotidiano de trabalho. A análise dos discursos permitiu a elaboração de núcleos temáticos sobre os quais são apresentados os resultados: a) Pronto Socorro e ambiência: espaço físico inadequado que compromete o atendimento e contrapõe-se ao conceito de ambiência proposto pelo Ministério de Saúde; b) Pronto Socorro e seus usuários: embora tenha havido uma reorganização da unidade que deixou de ser uma porta de entrada de livre acesso, o PS ainda atende a casos de baixa complexidade e pacientes de todos os níveis sociais, devido à carência de outros serviços de urgência na região... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The teaching hospitals have been stimulated to become a service that recovers the essential part of care: the relationship among human beings mentioned in the National Humanization Policy. The humanization study in the development process of Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) (Brazilian public health system) is relevant and the observation of the system in a university teaching hospital pertinent, because it functions as a health care center, attracting to itself great demand, which often overloads its services. The Clinical Hospital from Botucatu Medical School (CH from BMS) receives patients of all levels of complexity, and its emergency department is a reference to the DRS-VI for high complex procedures in emergency/urgency and a place of tension and overload of care. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the humanization of the emergency department of the CH from BMS through the eyes of the health professionals. This is a quantitative research into which eight doctors, a nurse and a psychologist were interviewed; who reflect their position towards the reality, moments of development and the social dynamics, concerns and personal interests, typical of a social research from which emanate contradictions and conflicts of the daily work. The analyses of the interviews allowed the elaboration of theme centers through which the results are presented: a) Emergency Department and environment: inappropriate physical space which compromises the care and opposes the environment concept proposed by the Ministry of Health; b) Emergency Department and its users: even though there has been a reorganization of the department, which is no longer a free access entrance, the emergency department still cares for cases of low complexity and patients of all social levels, due to the lack of other emergency services in the area; c) Emergency Department, care space: the unit overload is justified... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Orientador: Eliana Goldfarb Cyrino / Coorientador: Antonio de Pádua Pithon Cyrino / Banca: Ana Cecília Silveira Lins Sucupira / Banca: Ana Teresa de Abreu Ramos Cerqueira / Mestre

O desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação em médicos tem sido apontado como uma necessidade e uma competência fundamental para o exercício da medicina. A empatia é uma habilidade interpessoal que pode ser descrita como a capacidade de compreender o ponto de vista e os sentimentos de uma outra pessoa sem julgá-los e de comunicar esse entendimento de modo que a pessoa que fala se sinta verdadeiramente compreendida pela pessoa que ouve. Essa habilidade promove um senso de validação na pessoa que fala, especialmente em situações de conflito, reduzindo a probabilidade de rompimento e fortalecendo os vínculos interpessoais. A empatia dos médicos é atribuída à sua educação pessoal, sendo raro o desenvolvimento dessa competência social durante o curso de formação médica. O desconhecimento sobre essa habilidade e sua função no exercício profissional motivou a realização deste estudo sobre a empatia em médicos que atuam em diferentes contextos de atenção à saúde no município do Rio de Janeiro. Participaram desta pesquisa 75 profissionais, dos quais 25 atuavam no nível da Atenção Primária, composto por equipes de saúde da família e por centros municipais de saúde; 12 pertenciam a unidades mais especializadas que correspondem ao nível de Atenção Secundária e 38 trabalhavam nos ambulatórios de hospitais universitários da Atenção Terciária. Foi aplicado o Inventário de Empatia (I.E.), que avalia os quatro fatores que compõem a habilidade empática: 1) Tomada de Perspectiva: capacidade de compreender o ponto de vista e os sentimentos da outra pessoa; 2) Flexibilidade Interpessoal: capacidade de aceitar perspectivas muito diferentes das próprias; 3) Altruísmo: capacidade de suspender temporariamente as próprias necessidades em função do outro; 4) Sensibilidade Afetiva: sentimento de compaixão e de preocupação com o outro. Os resultados mostraram que o grupo avaliado obteve médias semelhantes às apresentadas nos dados normativos do I.E. nos fatores Tomada de Perspectiva e Flexibilidade Interpessoal, enquanto superou a média no fator Altruísmo e ficou abaixo da média no fator Sensibilidade Afetiva. Esses dados indicam que a amostra de médicos avaliada possui uma capacidade mais acentuada de sacrificar suas próprias necessidades para atender ao outro, ainda que não associada necessariamente a um sentimento de compaixão equivalente. Isto pode estar relacionado com a reduzida importância dada ao aspecto emocional na formação médica. Em relação à avaliação da empatia por contexto de atenção em saúde, não foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os grupos com exceção do fator Tomada de Perspectiva. Neste componente, os médicos do Programa Saúde da Família destacaram-se significativamente do grupo de Atenção Secundária, o que parece estar relacionado com a proximidade do profissional com o contexto de vida do paciente e com a educação continuada que recebem através de treinamentos e capacitações onde são valorizadas as habilidades de comunicação desses profissionais. A partir desses resultados propõe-se que o desenvolvimento da empatia seja incluído nos cursos de formação médica e no planejamento das condições de trabalho nos diversos níveis de atenção à saúde. / The development of communication skills of physicians have been argued as a necessity and a fundamental competence for medical professional exercise. Empathy is an interpersonal ability that may be described as the capacity to comprehend another persons point of view and feelings without judging them and to communicate this comprehension in a way that the speaker feels truly understood by the listener. This ability promotes a validation sense on the speaker, especially in conflict situations, reducing the probability of breaking off and strengthening interpersonal ties. Physicians empathy is attributed to personal education, being rare the development of this social competence along the medicine graduation course. Unknowing about this ability and its function on professional exercise has motivated the realization of this study on empathy of physicians that work in different contexts of health care system in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The participants of this research were 75 physicians, who 25 worked at Primary Health Care level, composed by teams of Family Health Program and by physicians of ambulatory units; 12 belonged to more specialized units, which correspond to the Second Health Care level and 38 worked at universities hospitals of the Third Tier of Health Care. The Inventory of Empathy (I.E.) was applied, assessing the four factors that compose the empathic ability: 1) Perspective Taking: capacity of comprehending other persons point of view and feelings; 2) Interpersonal Flexibility: capacity of accepting perspectives very different from ones perspective; 3) Altruism: capacity of suspending temporary ones necessities for the other; 4) Emotional Sensibility: feeling of compassion and comprehension of the other. The results show that the assessed group has means similar to the ones presented in the normative data of the I.E. on the factors Perspective Taking and Interpersonal Flexibility while it has overtaken the mean of the factor Altruism and has undertaken the mean of the factor Emotional Sensibility. These data suggest that the physicians assessed have higher capacity of sacrificing their own necessities for attending the other, though it was not necessarily associated to an equivalent compassion feeling. This may be related to the reduced importance of emotional aspect in medical graduation. On the assessment of empathy by contexts of health attention, it was not found a significant difference between the groups, but the factor Perspective Taking. On this component, the physicians of Family Health Program have been significantly detached from the group of Second Health Care, what seems to be related to the physicians proximity of the patients life context and to the continuous education that they receive through trainings in which the communication skills of these professionals are highly valued. With these results, it is proposed that the development of empathy should be included in medical training and on the working conditions plans of all health attention levels.