The role of medical documentaries in enhancing empathy and care quality among healthcare professionals

Medical documentaries are a unique and remarkable means to witness the real-life or patient healthcare experiences together with the progress and morality of medicine, thus creating a better understanding of the patient-care services. The study aims to assess the extent to which medical documentaries affect the healthcare professionals' empathy and consequently their quality of patient care, enhancing their professional outcomes. This study used a mixed method that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative research designs. In terms of sample size, purposive sampling and stratified sampling were used. The sample taken for the purpose of collecting quantitative data consisted of 429 employees working in the healthcare sector, who were asked to complete a survey, and their responses were subjected to analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with 25 employees and analyzed with NVivo software. The results indicated that medical documentaries had a positive effect on the healthcare professional's ability to develop empathy and other professional outcomes in the care of patients. Also, the study results highlighted that regular watching of medical documentaries among healthcare professionals fosters a patient-centered approach. The uniqueness of this research lies in the behavioral responses of healthcare workers to the medical films and not through public viewing of health-related issues. This study provides insight into healthcare professional training and developments, demonstrating that medical documentaries helped to promote the development of empathy, enhance the quality of care provided to patients, and promote effective healthcare.