Attributes associated with person-centered care competence among undergraduate nursing students

Person-centered care is widely recognized as a promising practice to improve patient care quality. However, little is known about the competencies of nursing students who are essential to providing high-quality person-centered care. In this study, relevant attributes, including professional nursing competence, empathy, and self-awareness, were examined in relation to person-centered care competence among South Korean nursing students while controlling for individual characteristics, including age, gender, religion, and academic performance. Data were collected from 213 senior students enrolled in four nursing schools in South Korea from November 15 to 30, 2017. The mean age of the nursing students in the sample was 23 years. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses while accounting for the students nested in their schools. Professional nursing competence and empathy were strongly associated with person-centered care competence among nursing students. Of the five aspects of professional nursing competence, human understanding and communication skills were the most likely to be associated with person-centered care competence. Moreover, there were few variations across nursing schools in the levels of professional nursing competence. Our findings corroborate the importance of developing better communication skills and empathy to improve and maintain person-centered care competence among nursing students who belong to a new generation.