Empathy in Action in Healthcare (EACH): A mixed methods study of nurses' and therapists' empathy

Despite a plethora of research on empathy and its associated constructs, there is little evidence exploring clinicians' perceptions of their empathy and its impact on service level outcomes.

The aim of this single centre mixed methods study was to investigate nurses' and therapists' empathy levels and explore their views regarding its impact on clinical decision making at a national specialist orthopaedic centre. Data were collected from 126 respondents using an online validated empathy scale (Jefferson scale) supplemented by interviews with a convenience sample of 20 respondents. Questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative interview data were subjected to a standard process of inductive thematic analysis prior to seeking relationships between the two datasets.

There was a statistically significant difference in empathy levels between nurses and therapists (p = 0.031), with nurses scoring lower than therapists. Interview findings identified four key themes; displaying empathy, therapeutic use of self, influences and impacts, and learning. Differences between empathy scores and participants' subjective accounts of empathy were apparent.

Empathy is an important construct built upon personal and professional experiences. Previous research reports empathy as a positive tool, however, our data suggest that its inappropriate use might also have a negative impact on service delivery and health outcomes.