Patient Satisfaction with the Empathic Communication Skills of Nurses at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Uttarakhand

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Background and Aim Empathic communication has a great impact on patient satisfaction and health outcomes. With the advent of technology in healthcare human touch in caring for patients is diminishing gradually. This study explores the satisfaction of the patients with the empathic communication of nurses. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to conduct the study. Data were collected by a self-structured 5-point Likert scale to assess the satisfaction of patients with the empathic communication skills of nurses in the month of August 2021. Results The mean age of the participants was 43.36 ± 15.76. 41% of respondents have an overall moderate satisfaction with the empathic communication skills of nurses, 33.33% had low satisfaction and only 25.7% had high satisfaction with empathic communication skills of nurses. Furthermore, a significant number of patients (87.5%) reported that their opinion was recognized and respected by nurses and more than 80% reported that nurses were good in communication. Conclusion This study provides significant data about one of the most important factors in the improvement of patient satisfaction. Nurse’s empathic communication skills can be improved and sustained by training programmers on regular basis.