Relationships among humanistic literacy competencies in Chinese clinical nurses: A network analysis

This study examined the network structure of the competency cluster of humanistic literacy among clinical nurses in China, identifying key and bridging competencies within the network cluster.

With the increasing demand for high-quality healthcare services and the growing complexity of nurse-patient relationships, the humanistic competence of clinical nurses has received increasing attention. However, compared with the international level and professionalism, the humanistic literacy and education of nursing staff in Chinese medical institutions still has significant room for improvement.

An analytical cross-sectional design.

A stratified cluster sampling method was employed to survey the clinical communication skills, emotional intelligence and caring behaviours of 3030 clinical nurses from five tertiary hospitals of Grade A across different regions of China. A Gaussian graphical model was used to estimate and compare the network structure, as well as to assess centrality measures, accuracy and stability.

The top three competencies with the highest expected influence within the network were "Respect and Connection"(r_ei = 5.96), followed by "Keen Listening"(r_ei = 5.86) and "Emotional Control"(r_ei = 5.71). The competency with the highest bridge expected influence was "Keen Listening"(r_bei = 0.58), followed by "Respect and Connection"(r_bei = 0.49). These competencies serve as critical nodes that activate the entire topological network.

"Respect and Connection"and "Keen Listening" function as both core and bridging competencies. Nursing managers and educators implement targeted interventions, which play a crucial role in enhancing nurses' overall humanistic competence.