Final answer:
Medical students may show reduced empathy during their education due to work overload, stressful patient interactions, and challenging working environments; efforts to preserve empathy should focus on educational reforms and wellness programs.
Step-by-step explanation:
It's been suggested that medical students may exhibit decreased empathy as they progress through medical school. Factors contributing to this include work overload, heavy physical work, dealing with patient concerns such as death and medical issues, as well as interpersonal problems with other medical staff. These experiences can lead to emotional exhaustion and a decrease in empathetic feelings toward patients.
In low-income countries, challenges in access to medical education and patient care can further exacerbate this issue, as indicated by the World Health Organization. To prevent the decline in empathy among medical students, it is essential to address these issues directly through both educational reform and wellness programs that encourage work-life balance, teach coping strategies for stress, and emphasize the importance of empathy in patient care.