Empathy as an AssetBy Maria Macauley

“Mother and child holding hands” image courtesy of Office.com Clip Art

My Question

What is empathy?

What’s the difference between empathy and apathy, sympathy, compassion, pity, etc.?

“How do nurses show

empathy?”

“Nurse hat” image courtesy of Office.com

Studies

Understanding

Learning how to listen

“Regardless of how rude or irritating the other person is, it is always worse to be the one experiencing the personal crises.” – Katie Morales (2012)

“Female nurse checking heart rate on an elderly patient” image courtesy of Office.com

StudiesChallenges of Empathy

1.It takes time.

2.Requires our attention.

3.Requires we push aside our own baggage.

4.Switches our outlook from ourselves to others.

“Empathy allows us to be fully human and gives others permission to do the same.” - Julie Fuimano (2010)

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Studies

Perspective (of someone else) = empathy.

Empathy has a positive impact on nurses.

“Perspective taking enhances job satisfaction, work engagement and reduces turnover intention. Compassion does not.” - Letizia Dal Santo

“Silhouette of a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair” image courtesy of Office.com

Methods

Hospital survey of 10 patients. (It was a slow day).

Casual questioning and observing.

Surveys

and

observations.

Survey

1. Do you feel like you’re being understood by your nurse? If so, how? If not, how?

80% felt like their nurse understood them.

The other 20% did not, both saying similarly that their nurse has only came in to talk to them once, and therefore can’t have a full understanding of them.

2. To you, is empathy or sympathy more important in a nurse?

100% said empathy.

3. Do you feel that your nurse…

A. Hasn’t shown you much empathy?

B. Takes the time to listen to and understand you?

C. Explains everything to you in a clear, respectful manner?

D. Has built a relationship with you?

70% said B, C, and D.

20% said A

10% said C

4. Do you expect nurses to go above and beyond just “regular care”?

100% said that they expect nurses to go above and beyond regular care.

5. What are ways that you think nurses can go above and beyond this “regular care”?

60% said: Nurses who can simply talk with them about how they’re feeling in an open, nonjudgmental environment is going above and beyond.

20% said: Nurses who try to cultivate relationships with their patients are going above and beyond.

10% said: Nurses who don’t treat their patients like patients when it comes to how they’re feeling emotionally.

10% said: A nurse that gives shots that don’t hurt.

• B, C, and D all have something in common.

Observations

Observation Interpretation

Patient is laying on a

bed in the hallway.

Nurse smiles and puts

hand on patients

shoulder.

The way I see it, here is where the nurse is trying to connect with her

patient. By putting her hand on their shoulder, it’s as if she’s trying to give

them that feeling of being cared for. Receiving a gentle touch from

someone who can help you must be comforting when you’re sitting alone in

a bed in the hallway.

The nurse in the

other room is asking

questions loudly to a

patient.

The patient is older and must have a difficult time hearing. In order for a

nurse to give her best care, she needs to know what’s wrong. She’s

probably asking questions loudly so the patient can hear her and respond to

her accurately.

A nurse walks into a

room and

immediately begins

to smile.

To me, I saw someone who was sick of paperwork and ready to do some

interactions with her patient, as if finally being able to go back to them was

refreshing. Though I’m sure she’s been having a long day, she still made it

a point to smile for her patient. Seeing someone smiling usually makes me

smile, so perhaps a smile would be a good medication every now and then.

While walking by a

room, a nurse tells

her patient “I know

it hurts, I’m sorry.”

At first I thought this was sympathy, but I peeked into the room and saw a

look of distress on the nurse’s face. That instance I knew that she was

internalizing the pain that her patient felt and was genuinely trying to make

it better because she put herself in her patient’s shoes. I saw this just from

the look on her face. You don’t see a look of distress on someone who

doesn’t care.

• Particularly, people want to be understood.

Analysis

Listening to and understand patients, is what builds that important relationship.

Empathy is as good a medicine as any.

“Communication, councilors, desk, doctors,” image courtesy of Office.com

Analysis

Empathy has nothing but a positive impact on patients and their nurses.

“Knowing” and “understanding” are two very different things.

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Closing Thoughts

• Should nursing professors specifically make a point to bring empathy into their teachings, even if the lesson don’t call for it?

• Empathy IS an asset…for everyone.

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Preference of Empathy vs. Sympathy

Reflection/What I Learned

How to make observations…effectively.

Transforming information from one medium to another.

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Reference Page

Mother and child holding hands – close up (n.d.). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 28 from Office.com

Nurse hat (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 29 from Office.com

Female nurse checking heart rate on an elderly patient (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 28 from Office.com

Morales, K. (11, 2012). The importance of empathy in nursing. Retrieved from http://www.nursetogether.com/the-importance-of-empathy-in-nursing

Nurse examining patient that is in a cast

Fuimano, J. (11, 2010). The importance of empathy in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.healthecareers.com/article/the-importance-of-empathy-in-the-workplace/158315

Reference Page

Silhouette of a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 29 from Office.com

Dal Santo, L., Pohl , S., Saiani, L., & Battistelli, A. (2014). Empathy in the emotional interactions with patients. is it positive for nurses too? Journal of Nursing

Education and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.sciedu.ca/journal/index.php/jnep/article/view/3014

Communication, councilors, desk, doctors (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 29 from Office.com

People with plus sign (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 29 from Office.com

Close up of a hand reaching out to help (n.d). Office.com. [image]. Retrieved March 29 from Office.com