Table 1. Factor pattern coefficients, mean and SD, communalities (h2) for Principal Axing Factoring with Direct Oblimin rotation and corrected item-total correlations on the 20 items of the JSE-S (n= 415)
Item Rotated Factor coefficients M SD h2 r i-t
F1 F2
10. Patients value a physician's understanding of their feelings which is therapeutic in its own right 0.61 0.18 5.74 1.61 0.46 0.55
20. I believe that empathy is an important therapeutic factor in medical treatment 0.60 0.19 5.54 1.71 0.45 0.60
9. Physicians should try to stand in their patients' shoes when providing care to them 0.55 - 0.17 4.70 1.94 0.28 0.36
17. Physicians should try to think like their patients in order to render better care 0.54 - 0.21 4.48 1.94 0.28 0.31
13. Physicians should try to understand what is going on in their patients' minds by paying attention to their non-verbal cues and body language 0.54 0.25 5.65 1.68 0.43 0.56
16. Physicians' understanding of the emotional status of their patients, as well as that of their families is one important component of the physician-patient relationship 0.53 0.25 5.89 1.52 0.42 0.54
2. Patients feel better when their physicians understand their feelings. 0.50 0.20 6.38 1.41 0.35 0.47
4. Understanding body language is as important as verbal communication in physician patient relationships 0.50 0.06 5.67 1.74 0.27 0.39
5. A physician's sense of humor contributes to a better clinical outcome 0.48 -0.74 4.94 1.93 0.21 0.33
15. Empathy is a therapeutic skill without which the physician's success is limited. 0.36 0.00 4.55 2.03 0.13 0.28
18. Physicians should not allow themselves to be influenced by strong personal bonds between their patients and their family members. -0.29 b -0.04 2.53 1.78 0.09 -0.25*
11. Patients' illnesses can be cured only by medical or surgical treatment; therefore, physicians' emotional ties with their patients do not have a significant influence in medical or surgical treatment. 0.20 0.58 5.69 1.74 0.44 0.49
7. Attention to patients' emotions is not important in history taking 0.22 0.55 6.11 1.59 0.42 0.51
8. Attentiveness to patients' personal experiences does not influence treatment outcomes 0.16 0.51 5.74 1.76 0.33 0.44
14. I believe that emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness. 0.36 0.38 5.82 1.71 0.36 0.52
12. Asking patients about what is happening in their personal lives is not helpful in understanding their physical complaints 0.18 0.38 5.59 1.80 0.22 0.37
6. Because people are different, it is difficult to see things from patients' perspectives -0.17 0.30 b 4.07 1.75 0.09 0.06*
3. It is difficult for a physician to view things from patients' perspectives. -0.08 0.28 b 4.27 1.69 0.18 0.14
19. I do not enjoy reading non-medical literature or the arts 0.19 0.23b 5.83 1.79 0.13 0.28
1. Physicians' understanding of their patients' feelings and the feelings of their patients' families does not influence medical or surgical treatment 0.06 0.19 b 4.69 2.12 0.05 0.19
Eigen value 5.11 1.75        
% Variance 22.4 5.0        
Cronbach’s alpha 0.79 0.67        
95% CI [0.76,0.82] [0.62,0.71]        

r i-t= Corrected item-total score correlations; *Non-significant, all other item-total score correlations were statistically significant (p < .05) ; h2= communality.

Principal Axing Factoring with Oblimin rotation was used for half of the sample (n=415). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed in the other half of the sample.

aItems were listed by order of magnitude of the factor coefficients within each factor. Items were scored using a seven -point Likert type scale. Factor 1 was considered as a construct involving "Perspective Tacking" and Factor 2 as a construct involving "Compassionate Care". Numbers represent the sequence of the items in the actual scale.

bFactor coefficients < 0.35.

 Int J Med Educ. 2022; 13:205-214; doi: 10.5116/ijme.62d2.8497