Sing-Ling Tsai^*, Sinkuo Chai, Hsiang Hwa Wang

Show more
Department of Nursing, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Department of Health Services Management, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Registered Nurse, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Show less

Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this study was to understand patient-perceived empathy from nurse among different units of Taiwan acute care settings. Design: A crosssectional study was used with a questionnaire survey in acute care units and intensive care units of a medical center in northern Taiwan. Participants were selected by convenient sampling. A total of 548 patients at 14 acute care units and 4 intensive care units in a large Medical Center participated in this questionnaire survey. Methods: Scale of patient-perceived empathy from nurse including 15 item Likert scale was used in this study. The statistical software SPSS 15.0 for Windows was applied and Cronbach’s α, factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation, t-test and one way ANOVA were conducted to analyze the data. Findings: Patients who were first-time hospitalization had higher scores of patient-perceived empathy from nurse than patients who have had hospitalizing experiences. The patient in surgical unit had the highest score of patient-perceived empathy from nurse. The empathy scale score of patient without ICU experience was significantly higher than patient with ICU experience. Also, patients without depressive history had higher score than patients with depression history. Conclusion: Patients with multiple admissions of hospitalization, ICU experience, and depressive history had lower score than other patients. It is suggested that the perception of patients with complicated disease or condition might be different. Thus, an in-depth caring knowledge of both emotions and disease was needed to support patients’ perception of empathy. Clinical Relevance: The care of complicated patients especially with ICU experience needs strong knowledge based both on emotion and disease. 

Keywords: Empathy; Patient Perception; Nurse; Scale; Acute Care Settings; Taiwan

Cite this paper: Tsai, S. , Chai, S. and Hwa Wang, H. (2013) Patient-perceived empathy from nurses in Taiwan acute care settings. Open Journal of Nursing, 3, 532-538. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2013.38072.

References

[1]   Alligood, M.R. (2005) Rethinking empathy in nursing education: Shifting to a developmental view. Annual Review of Nursing Education, 3, 299-309.

[2]   Ancel, G. (2006) Developing empathy in nurses: An inservice training program. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 20, 249-257.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2006.05.002

[3]   Halpern, J. (2007) Empathy and patient-physician conflicts. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22, 696-700.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-006-0102-3

[4]   Taur, F.M., Chai, S.K. and Tsai, S.L. (2012) Evaluating the suicide risk screening scale used by general nurses on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer: A questionnaire survey. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21, 398-407.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03808.x

[5]   Reynolds, W., Scott, P.A. and Austin, W. (2000) Nursing, empathy and perception of the moral. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 32, 235-242.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2000.01440.x

[6]   Mercer, S.W., Maxwell, M., Heaney, D. and Watt, G.C. (2004) The consultation and relational empathy (CARE) measure: Development and preliminary validation and reliability of an empathy-based consultation process measure. Family Practice, 21, 699-705.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmh621

[7]   Kane, G.C., Gotto, J.L., Mangione, S., West, S. and Hojat, M. (2007) Jefferson scale of patient’s perceptions of physician empathy: Preliminary psychometric data. Croatian Medical Journal, 48, 81-86.

[8]   Yu, J. and Kirk, M. (2009) Evaluation of empathy measurement tools in nursing: Systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65, 1790-1806.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05071.x

[9]   La Monica, E.L. (1981) Construct validity of an empathy instrument. Research in Nursing and Health, 4, 389-400.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nur.4770040406

[10]   Wheeler, K., Marrett, E.A.M. and Lahey, E.M. (1996) A study of empathy as a nursing care outcome measure. International Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research, 3, 281-289.

[11]   Yu, J. and Kirk, M. (2008) Measurement of empathy in nursing research: Systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 64, 440-454.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04831.x

[12]   Wiseman, T. (2007) Toward a holistic conceptualization of empathy for nursing practice. Advances in Nursing Science, 30, E61-E72.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.ANS.0000286630.00011.e3

[13]   Watt-Watson, J., Garfinkel, P., Gallop, R., Stevens, B. and Streiner, D. (2000) The impact of nurses’ empathic responses on patients’ pain management in acute care. Nursing Research, 49, 191-200.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00006199-200007000-00002

[14]   Brunero, S., Lamont, S. and Coates, M. (2010) A review of empathy education in nursing. Nursing Inquiry, 17, 64-73.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1800.2009.00482.x

[15]   Lee, H.J., Kuo, C.L., Tseng, H.F. and Turton, M.A. (2005) Development of an instrument to measure caring behaviors in nursing students in Taiwan. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 42, 579-588.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2004.09.018

[16]   Burhans, L.M. and Alligood, M.R. (2010) Quality nursing care in the words of nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66, 1689-1697.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05344.x

[17]   Webster, C. and Bryan, K. (2009) Older people’s views of dignity and how it can be promoted in a hospital environment. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 1784-1792.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02674.x

[18]   Teng, C.-I., Hsiao, F.-J. and Chou, T.-A. (2010) Nurseperceived time pressure and patient-perceived care quality. Journal of Nursing Management, 18, 275-284.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2010.01073.x

[19]   Stayt, L.C. (2009) Death, empathy and self preservation: The emotional labour of caring for families of the critically ill in adult intensive care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 1267-1275.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02712.x