Abstract
ObjectiveA substantial body of research supports what many nurses know from experience: empathy is at the heart of providing quality care. The major objective of this study was to identify unique mechanisms through which higher empathy translates into greater intentions to treat patients in pain employing novel methodology. MethodsUsing an ecologically-valid scenario methodology, student nurses (N = 156) reviewed the narrative of a patient in chronic pain. They completed standard, valid measures of empathy toward the patient, perception of the patient's pain, and intention to provide pain-relieving treatment. Nursing student’s personality traits were assessed and perception of patients’ age and sex were experimentally manipulated. ResultsEmpathy was associated with higher intention to treat the patient in chronic pain irrespective of patients’ age or sex. A moderated-mediation analysis confirmed that nursing students with higher empathy perceived the patient in the scenario as being in greater pain. This was correspondingly associated with higher intention to provide treatment. Nursing students’ trait Extraversion was a moderator. ConclusionEmpathy not only improves rapport between patients and providers but is related to intentions to provide pain-relieving treatment. Practice implicationsThe clinical and educational importance of empathy in patient-provider relationships are discussed.
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