<b>EMPATHY IN HEALTHCARE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONSULTANT DOCTORS' PRACTICES IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC MEDICAL SECTORS</b>

Background: Empathy is a critical component of effective patient care, influencing clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and treatment adherence. Variations in empathy among physicians across healthcare sectors and specialties may impact the quality of care. Objectives:. To assess and compare empathy levels among consultant doctors working in public and private tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan, and to examine associations with demographic and professional characteristics Methodology: A cross-sectional study conducted from May-August 2024 in public and private hospitals. Total of 115 consultants participated. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE). Demographic and professional data, including age, sex, specialty, and sector of practice, were collected via a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: Private sector consultants reported significantly higher empathy scores (M 91.73, SD = 11.07) compared with public sector consultants (M = 85.78, SD = 13.52; p = 0.013). Age was significantly associated with empathy (p= 0.006), with the highest scores in the 35-45 years group. No significant differences were found between males and females (p = 0.572). Empathy varied by specialty (p = 0.047), with dermatology scoring highest.