Empathy is the ability to feel, understand and be sensitive to others by vicariously experiencing another's thoughts, feelings and experiences. Would you say you're empathetic? I am, probably to a fault. I can't see anybody cry and not get teary eyed myself, even if I don't know why.
My cat, Tiger, fell down the stairs during the night the other day and has been at the vet most of the week. She peed in her bed because she couldn't walk to the litter box. I can almost guarantee you that at some point in your own life, you won't make it to the bathroom either. If you don't believe me, a little pill called Lasix will prove my point. She also bit my dad as he tried to put her in the cage. So? I refer you to the caption above. I think patience was lacking and so is my sympathy--for him. Tiger is getting better and hopefully will be able to come home tomorrow.
Are you a good patient when you don't feel well? Does a headache make you grumpy [bite]? Does a lack of sleep make you short-tempered [bite]? We all bite on occasion but if we show a little empathy, we might get a better response from the patient.