As empathy gains importance within academia, we propose this review as an attempt to bring clarity upon the diverse and widely debated definitions and conceptions of empathy within the medical field. In this paper, we first evaluate the limits of the Western mainstream medical culture and discuss the origins of phenomena such as dehumanization and detached concern as well as their impacts on patient care. We then pass on to a structured overview of the debate surrounding the notion of clinical empathy and its taxonomy in the medical setting. In particular, we present the dichotomous conception of clinical empathy that is articulated in the debate around cognitive empathy and affective empathy. We thus consider the negative impacts that this categorization brings about. Finally, we advocate for a more encompassing, holistic conception of clinical empathy; one that gives value to a genuine interest in welcoming, acknowledging and responding to the emotions of those suffering. Following this line of reasoning, we advance the notion of ‘empathic concern’, a re-conceptualization of clinical empathy that finds its source in Halpern in Med Health Care Philos (2014) 17:301–311 engaged curiosity. We ultimately advance Narrative Medicine as an approach to introduce, teach and promote such an attitude among medical trainees and practitioners.

随着同理心在学术界越来越重要，我们提出这篇评论是为了澄清医学领域内对同理心的多样化和广泛争论的定义和概念。在本文中，我们首先评估了西方主流医学文化的局限性，并讨论了非人性化和超然关注等现象的起源及其对患者护理的影响。然后，我们对围绕临床移情概念及其在医疗环境中的分类的辩论进行结构化概述。特别是，我们提出了在围绕认知移情和情感移情的辩论中阐明的临床移情的二分概念. 因此，我们考虑了这种分类带来的负面影响。最后，我们提倡一种更全面、更全面的临床移情概念；一种重视欢迎、承认和回应那些受苦者的情绪的真正兴趣。按照这种推理，我们提出了“移情关注”的概念，这是对临床移情的重新概念化，其来源在 Halpern in Med Health Care Philos (2014) 17:301-311引起了好奇心。我们最终将叙事医学作为一种在医学实习生和从业者中引入、教授和促进这种态度的方法。