Cognitive empathy of osteopathic students: a longitudinal study with data comparisons to the Project in Osteopathic Medical Education and Empathy (POMEE).

Context: Establishing an empathic bond of trust with patients is a characteristic that physicians need, because patients feel that physicians are more caring if they sense that they are empathetic. Former cross-sectional studies have shown an erosion of cognitive empathy as medical students progress through their education.

Objectives: This study aims to measure the changes in student cognitive empathy as they progress through their undergraduate osteopathic medical education.