An Intervention to Increase Nursing Students' Empathy Levels for People With Disabilities

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Disparities
• Empathy Training

Background:

• People with disabilities (PWD) face significant health disparities in the U.S.
• A quarter of U.S. adults have a disability, necessitating specialized nursing skills.
• Low empathy among healthcare professionals exacerbates these disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of role-play simulation and group activities on nursing students' empathy towards PWD.
• To investigate methods for enhancing nursing students' understanding and care for PWD.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-model ANOVA design was employed.
• Empathy levels were measured using the Revised Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale.
• Pretest and posttest scores were compared between an intervention group and a control group.

Main Results:

• The intervention group, utilizing role-play simulation and group activities, showed a significant increase in empathy scores from pretest to posttest.
• This indicates a positive correlation between the intervention and enhanced empathy.

Conclusions:

• Role-play simulation is an effective pedagogical tool for teaching nursing students to care for PWD.
• Implementing such simulations can help mitigate health disparities by fostering greater empathy.