Clients' experiences of empathy in genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer: A qualitative study in Japan

Empathy is a significant element in genetic counseling for building relationships with the clients and addressing their issues. However, there are few reports on the experiences of the clients about their perceived empathy in genetic counseling. Cancer genetic counseling needs have been rapidly evolving with the expansion of clinical comprehensive genomic profiling and genetic diagnosis approaches for hereditary cancers. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal empathy perceptions of the clients during cancer genetic counseling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a grounded theory approach was used for data analysis. A total of 13 participants were recruited from organizations for patients with cancer, among whom 11 were patients with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) and two were relatives of patients with HBOC. Data analysis was organized into five categories related to experiences with empathy: (i) prior context to perceive empathy (ii) understanding and consideration, (iii) bedside manner, and (iv) impacted area of perceived empathy; and (v) no empathy. This study highlights the fact that empathy experiences of the clients differ depending on the situation and state of mind. Taken together, this study provides new insights on how to deliver empathic care.