Proposal for a measurement protocol for nurses' empathic communication competencies using gaze tracking, voice
Hirokazu Ito1, Yoshihiro Kai2, Tetsuya Tanioka1
1Department of Nursing, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan.
Abstract:
This study aimed to propose a measurement protocol for visualizing nurses' empathic communication competencies using gaze-tracking, voice-analysis, and digital video. This study was conducted at University A from June to November 2019 and two nursing students in their 20s. The scenario simulated nurses' empathic listening to patients discuss their health. Data were collected using a gaze analysis device (Tobii Eye Tracker 4C), a voice analysis device (WavePad FFT), and a digital video camera. Gaze data were categorized into 16 facial and upper-body regions and visualized on the horizontal and vertical axes using scatter plots. Verbal communication lasted 4 min 59 s, with 24,222 valid data points recorded from the subjects' gazes within the effective range. Subjects' "focus of gaze" was more frequently on the lower right face (36.51%), upper right face (33.93%), lower left face (13.01%), and upper left face (8.31%), 94% of the gaze was directed at the other person's face. Voice analysis revealed initial sound pressure levels between -18 to -12 dB, increasing beyond -6 dB with laughter and frequent utterances. The proposed measurement protocol allowed the visual and numerical identification of nurses' expressed empathy and emotions toward the patient by voice, gaze, and digital video recorded data. J. Med. Invest. 72 : 419-424, August, 2025.
