Proposal for a measurement protocol for nurses' empathic communication competencies using gaze tracking, voice...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Communication Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Assessing nurses' empathic communication is crucial for patient care.
• Current methods for evaluating empathy lack objective, quantifiable measures.
• Visualizing non-verbal cues in communication can enhance understanding of empathy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a measurement protocol for visualizing nurses' empathic communication competencies.
• To integrate gaze-tracking, voice-analysis, and digital video for objective assessment.
• To provide a method for identifying expressed empathy and emotions in simulated patient interactions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized gaze-tracking (Tobii Eye Tracker 4C) and voice-analysis (WavePad FFT) with digital video.
• Collected data from two nursing students in a simulated empathic listening scenario.
• Analyzed gaze patterns across 16 facial/body regions and voice sound pressure levels.

Main Results:

• Gaze data revealed 94% focus on the patient's face, primarily the right side.
• Voice analysis indicated increased sound pressure levels with positive vocalizations like laughter.
• The protocol successfully visualized and quantified expressed empathy through objective data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed protocol offers a viable method for objectively measuring nurses' empathic communication.
• Integration of multimodal data (gaze, voice, video) provides a comprehensive assessment.
• This approach can enhance nursing education and clinical practice by providing feedback on empathic behaviors.