Measuring Empathy in Iranian Pharmacy Students Using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Student Version

Objective. To assess validity of the Farsi-translated version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Student version (JSE-HPS) and measure empathy scores of Iranian pharmacy students.Methods. The JSE-HPS questionnaire was administered to 504 Iranian pharmacy students in 2019. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis were used to explore the underlying components and construct validity. Group comparisons of the empathy scores and the underlying components were conducted using statistical tests.Results. Based on 496 useable survey questionnaires, three domains of empathy among Iranian pharmacy students were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis: compassionate care, perspective taking, and standing in a patient's shoes. Two items in the JSE-HPS were removed, as their factor loadings were under the permissible limits in exploratory factor analysis. Empathy scores were significantly higher among female pharmacy students.Conclusion. These findings support the validity and reliability of the Farsi version of the JSE-HPS among Iranian pharmacy students.