Professional Empathy Research Articles

Substantial Increases in Healthcare Students' State Empathy Scores Owing to Participation in a Single Improvisation Session.

To determine whether the 12-item state empathy scale could be modified reliably to measure empathy in healthcare professions students and to detect changes in their empathy owing to a single improvisation (improv) session. Three cohorts of students from two healthcare professions programs (total = 165 students) participated in an improv session. During the session, one of the researchers (BS) tasked the students with several improv activities. Participants' self-reported state empathy scores were assessed at three time points (pre-improv, post-improv, and end of semester) using revised, in-class paper versions of the State Empathy Scale. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a single factor solution for the revised scale, justifying the creation of an overall state empathy score from the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha reliability values averaged 0.87. Students' mean empathy scores were higher directly after the improv session than directly prior to the session (p < 0.0001; effect size = r = 0.67, 0.55, and 0.79 for cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively). These findings show that a single one- or two-hour improv session can foster substantial increases in healthcare professional students' state empathy for one another. Greater healthcare professional empathy and compassion foster better healthcare team cooperation and patient outcomes, so healthcare professionals and their students should engage in such empathy-enhancing activities at regular intervals throughout their training and careers.

Эмпатия и выгорание у представителей помогающих профессий

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The present study is aimed at reviewing current researches on the relationship between empathy and burnout in helping professions. Traditionally, empathy is recognized as a core competence in this field. Occupational burnout in helping professionals is notable for its high levels and prevalence, as well as a variety of factors causing it, including specialists' regular encounters with negative emotions, sufferings and death of the recipients of their help (patients, clients etc.). The studies of the relationship between empathy and burnout were analyzed under one of the existing hypotheses: empathy promotes burnout; burnout reduces empathy; empathy prevents from burnout. This study considers phenomena specific to helping professions, such as secondary traumatization, compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and emotional dissonance, as well as their association with burnout. The analysis suggests that all three hypotheses are relevant and that a more nuanced understanding of empathy is necessary to provide insight into its relationship to burnout. The problem of finding an association between empathy and burnout transforms into the one, concerning the quality (or level) of professional empathy, as well as the possibility and ability to regulate it.&lt;/p&gt;

Results of the Implementation of a Comprehensive Socio-Psychological Program to Foster Professional Empathy Among Professionals in the Helping Professions

The article presents the results of research on the empathy of policemen, rescuers, doctors and psychologists, as the best representatives among helpers. It also describes the qualitative and quantitative changes in the levels of empathy among these specialists after the implementation of a comprehensive socio-psychological program. The goal is the approval of a complex socio-psychological program for the formation of professional empathy among specialists in helping professions, in particular, police officers, rescuers, doctors and psychologists. To conduct the research, the following methods were used: psychodiagnostic technique “Diagnostics of the empathic abilities level” by V. Boiko, content analysis, and Wilcoxon t-criteria to determine statistically significant shifts. The results. On the basis of the conducted research, it was established that empathy undergoes positive changes under the influence of the proposed comprehensive social-psychological program. As we can see the t-Wilcoxon results showed statistically significant shifts at the p&lt;0.01 and p&lt;0.001 levels. Positive changes occurred among representatives of all studied professions, however, the highest rates of change were found among psychologists and police officers. Conclusions. Theoretical analysis shows that empathy is mostly considered as an emotional component of the personality, which often appears in a negative way for specialists of some professions. However, the empathy of rescuers, police officers, doctors and psychologists manifests itself through a behavioral component and contributes to the emergence of empathic actions. Therefore, the positive results of the implementation of a complex socio-psychological program allow us to insist on the effectiveness and feasibility of its application for other specialists in the field of helping professions.

Engaging otherness: care ethics radical perspectives on empathy

Throughout the years, care ethicists have raised concerns that prevalent definitions of empathy fail to adequately address the problem of otherness. They have proposed alternative conceptualizations of empathy that aim to acknowledge individual differences, help to extend care beyond one’s inner circle, and develop a critical awareness of biases and prejudices. We explore three such alternatives: Noddings’ concept of engrossment, Meyers’ account of broad empathy, and Baart’s concept of perspective-shifting. Based on these accounts, we explain that care ethics promotes a conceptualization of empathy that is radical in its commitment to engage otherness and that is characterized by being: (1) receptive and open, (2) broad and deep in scope, (3) relational and interactive, (4) mature and multifaceted, (5) critical and reflective, (6) disruptive and transformative. This type of empathy is both demanding and rewarding, as it may inspire health professionals to rethink empathy, its challenges, and its contribution to good care and as it may enrich empathy education and professional empathy practices in health care.

Empathy levels among undergraduate students of health sciences

Aims: To determine empathy levels of medical students of Rawal institute of Health Sciences using Jefferson scale of physician empathy and to establish the relationship between empathy scores and year of study and gender Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2022 to July 2022, at Rawal Institute of Health Sciences. Jefferson Scale of Empathy Health Profession Students' version was distributed among 230 students of all five years of MBBS. Results: The results showed that 67.8% (n=156/230) had good empathy score, 20.9% (n=48/230) had excellent score and 11.3% (n=26/230) had average quality empathy score. The relation between year of study and empathy score was significant (p=0.003) with 3rd year students having excellent empathy scores as compared to the rest of the years and 5th year having more students with average empathy as compared to the rest of the years. The relation between gender and empathy scores was not significant (p=0.302). Conclusion: Professional empathy among medical students is associated with increased satisfaction with their education, lower levels of stress and burn out and higher ratings of overall clinical competence. Private medical students have good scores of empathies.

Argumente privind importanța empatiei profesionale a studenților mediciniști

The article provides theoretical arguments regarding the scientific significance of professional empathy as an important skill for medical students, which allows them to understand patients at a deeper level, to establish positive and supportive doctor-patient relationships facilitating their recovery in a timely manner. Training medical students in professional empathy reduces stress and anxiety in patients, which can have a positive impact on their overall health and well-being. In addition, showing empathy can help medical students develop long-term relationships and trust with their patients. A careful analysis of the professional standards of doctors and medical courses leads to the final conclusion, that this professional competence is recognized as an important condition for professional activity.

Empathic Flow: Dutch Humanist Chaplains’ Experiences with Professional Empathy and Its Challenges

Empathy is considered a key component of chaplaincy care, but little is known about the daily practice of empathy and the empathy barriers that chaplains encounter. This study investigates the factors that encourage or discourage empathy and provides insight into what chaplains actually do to achieve empathy and to overcome empathy challenges. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from twenty humanist chaplains in the Netherlands. A grounded theory approach was applied to analyze the data. The core concept of empathic flow emerged from the analysis. This refers to the stream of empathic experiences that arises within the relational, dynamic exchange between chaplain and client. Based on the analysis, three types of empathic flow were distinguished: (1) uncomplicated empathy, which flows smoothly and easily; (2) challenged empathy, which fluctuates between flow and temporal stagnation or disruption; and (3) failed empathy, in which the flow of empathy is blocked. Professional empathy emerged as a second core category from the interview data. This refers to those chaplains’ activities that aim to establish or enhance empathic flow, particularly in the face of challenges. Professional empathy relies on several underlying key components: critical self-reflection, self-care, professional standards, and the chaplain’s humanistic worldview and values. The qualitative analysis yielded 10 themes of professional empathy. Our findings suggest that empathy is a rich and complex practice to which both chaplain and client contribute. As professional caregivers, chaplains consider themselves ultimately responsible for establishing empathy and overcoming challenges.

Profiles of GPs with high and low self-reported physician empathy—personal, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics

BackgroundGeneral Practitioners’ (GPs) professional empathy has been hypothesized to have substantial impact on their healthcare delivery and medication prescribing patterns. This study compares profiles of personal, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics of GPs with high and low empathy.MethodsWe apply an extreme group approach to a unique combined set of survey and drug register data. The survey included questions about demographic, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics, as well as the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals (JSE-HP) to assess self-reported physician empathy. It was sent to a stratified sample of 1,196 GPs comprising 30% of the Danish GP population of whom 464 (38.8%) GPs responded. GPs in the top and bottom decile of empathy levels were identified. All intra- and inter-profile descriptive statistics and differences were bootstrapped to estimate the variability and related confidence intervals. Results61% of GPs in the top decile of the empathy score were female. GPs in this decile reported the following person-centered factors as more important for their job satisfaction than the bottom decile: The Patient-physician relationship, interaction with colleagues, and intellectual stimulation. High-empathy scoring GPs prescribed significantly less penicillin than the low-empathy GPs. This was true for most penicillin subcategories. There were no significant differences in age, practice setting (urban vs. rural), practice type (partnership vs. single-handed), overall job satisfaction, or GP’s value of prestige and economic profit for their job satisfaction. The intra profile variation index and confidence intervals show less prescribing uncertainty among GPs with high empathy.ConclusionsThis study reveals that high empathy GPs may have different personal, professional, and antibiotic prescribing characteristics than low empathy GPs and have less variable empathy levels as a group. Furthermore, person-centered high empathy GPs on average seem to prescribe less penicillins than low empathy GPs.

Meanings and senses of organisational silence by male nurses in the emergency department: an interpretative phenomenological study protocol

IntroductionThe organisational silence of nursing teams has received increasing attention from managers. Chinese nurses have a relatively high score for organisational silence, and male nurses score higher than female nurses....

Enhancing professional empathy to mitigate for marginalisation and the critical gaze in teacher development: a phenomenological framework

ABSTRACT Empathy is a form of perception in which individuals access the perspectives of others about the world in order to build knowledge about it. It is also a source of self-knowledge because, as a con- sequence of learning how others see us, we can regulate and refine how we see ourselves. Empathy is, therefore, an important capacity through which social cohesion is created. The aim of this paper is to consider the role of professional empathy between teachers when they engage in collective professional development activities, recognising that fear of the critical gaze and the potential for shame can inhibit participation. In order to do this, phenomenological ideas in relation to the formation of social bonds and empathy are explored. Ideas of professional visibility as a form of vulnerability are also examined. This paper explores the importance of professional empathy then posits the need for it to promote effective collective teacher development. A framework for enabling a culture of professional empathy in support of teacher professional growth is offered that highlights the need for three simultaneous forms of engagement; the collective, the interpersonal and the individual.

A vulnerable journey towards professional empathy and moral courage.

Background: Empathy and moral courage are important virtues in nursing and nursing ethics. Hence, it is of great importance that nursing students and nurses develop their ability to empathize and their willingness to demonstrate moral courage. Research aim: The aim of this article is to explore third-year undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions and experiences in developing empathy and moral courage. Research design: This study employed a longitudinal qualitative design based on individual interviews. Participants and research context: Seven undergraduate nursing students were interviewed during or immediately following their final clinical placement. Ethical considerations: The Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) approved the study. Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and were assured confidentiality. They were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time, without providing reasons. Findings: Affective empathy seemed to be strong among third-year undergraduate nursing students. However, they tried to handle the situations in a ‘professional’ way, and to balance their emotions. At the same time, they expressed how difficult it can be to show moral courage when confronted with poor patient care. In addition, they spoke about a lack of role models during clinical practice and supervision. Conclusions: Undergraduate nursing students are in a vulnerable position throughout their journey to become professional and to develop empathy and moral courage. The professional socialisation and forming of professional empathy and moral courage among nursing students, may be seen as a complex interaction of formal and hidden curriculum, where role models play an important role. We argue that the main theme ‘Vulnerable students – a journey towards professional empathy and moral courage’ may cover the longitudinal project as a whole. This vulnerability is something both teachers and supervisors should be aware of when following up with students in their clinical placements.

Humanities-Based Educational Preparation and Empathy in Novice Nurses: Critical Thinking and Analytic Practice.

Empathy has been associated with improved patient outcomes in practicing nurses, but empathy levels have been shown to decline in nursing students with increased clinical exposure. Integrating content from the humanities in the nursing classroom, not common in nursing education, supports professional empathy development and maintenance. Whether competencies gained from humanities-based liberal education courses support empathy in nursing students as they emerge into practice is not known. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, descriptive, pilot research was to explore the relationship between humanities-based liberal education and empathy in recently graduated, baccalaureate-prepared practicing nurses ( n = 40).

Validation of a pre-/post-survey to measure change in student social justice attitudes and empathy

IntroductionDespite endorsement by the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE), doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students are infrequently taught concepts related to social justice and empathy in a formal capacity. In addition, no validated measure exists to examine changes in these attitudes. Therefore, we tested the ability of a survey to predict changes in social justice and professional empathy attitudes in PharmD students. MethodsRetrospective pre-/post-data collected from PharmD students who completed a population health course at two schools of pharmacy were used to assess validity and reliability of the Social Justice and Empathy Assessment (SJEA) survey. A partial-credit Rasch model was used to test for uni-dimensionality, person and item fit, and rating scale functioning, as well as construct and content validity. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the effect of demographic covariates on the extent of pre-/post-change. ResultsOf 396 participating students, 60% were non-Hispanic White and 57% were male. The scale demonstrated evidence of uni-dimensionality of a construct designated “social justice self-efficacy.” The rating scale functioned best as a three-option scale. Four items were removed to optimize person-item distribution, though few items were difficult to endorse. Attending the private school was significantly associated with increased pre-/post-change. ConclusionsThe SJEA is functional as a criterion-referenced assessment to determine whether minimum competency in social justice self-efficacy is experienced before or after participation in a CAPE-informed educational program. Further research should explore contextual predictors of change in social justice self-efficacy.

How the LiveWell Dorset lifestyle behaviour change service influences older adults’ physical activity behaviour: A generic qualitative study

ObjectivesThere is uncertainty around the most effective characteristics and components of interventions to increase older adults' physical activity (PA) levels. This study aimed to explore how LiveWell Dorset (LWD), a lifestyle behaviour change support service based in Dorset, South-West England, influences older adults’ PA behaviour. Study designA qualitative study using a generic approach. MethodsSemi-structured telephone interviews were held with 12 individuals aged 55 to 65 who had accessed LWD's support to increase their PA levels, to gather their views and experiences of the service. A thematic analysis of the interview data was conducted using a hybrid approach that incorporated both inductive and deductive processes. Additionally, interview content was coded for behaviour change techniques using the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy version 1. ResultsA number of key factors were identified that highlighted how the LWD service influences older adults’ PA behaviour. These included using a broad range of promotional and behaviour change strategies to facilitate initial engagement, providing opportunities for service users to receive social support from both professionals and peers, and emphasising person-centredness and empathy in interactions with service users. ConclusionsThe findings provide valuable information regarding the needs and preferences of older adults when attempting to influence their PA behaviour, and on the reportedly helpful components of interventions that aim to do so. The findings also support the need for future research into previously highlighted topics of interest such as the roles of systemic and contextual factors and professional empathy on PA intervention engagement and outcomes.

The relationship between empathy and altruistic motivations in nursing studies: a multi-method study

BackgroundThe efficient management of relational competences in healthcare professionals is crucial to ensuring that a patient’s treatment and care process is conducted positively. Empathy is a major component of the relational skills expected of health professionals. Knowledge of undergraduate healthcare students’ empathic abilities is important for educators in designing specific and efficient educational programmes aimed at supporting or enhancing such competences. In this study, we measured first-year undergraduate nursing students’ attitudes towards professional empathy in clinical encounters. The students’ motivations for entering nursing education were also evaluated. This study takes a multi-method approach based on the use of qualitative and quantitative tools to examine the association between students’ positive attitudes towards the value of empathy in health professionals and their prosocial and altruistic motivations in choosing to engage in nursing studies.MethodsA multi-method study was performed with 77 first-year nursing students. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) – Health Professions Student Version was administered. Students’ motivations for choosing nursing studies were detected through an open question and thematically analysed. Using explorative factor analysis and principal component analysis, a dimensional reduction was conducted to identify subjects with prosocial and altruistic motivations. Finally, linear models were tested to examine specific associations between motivation and empathy.ResultsSeven distinct themes distinguishing internal and external motivational factors were identified through a thematic analysis of students’ answers regarding their decision to enter a nursing degree course. Female students gained higher scores on the empathy scale than male ones. When students’ age was considered, this difference was only observed for younger students, with young females’ total scores being higher than young males'. High empathy scores were positively associated with altruistic motivational factors. A negative correlation was found between external motivational factors and the scores of the Compassionate Care subscale of the JSE.ConclusionsKnowing the level of nursing students’ empathy and their motivational factors for entering nursing studies is important for educators to implement training paths that enhance students’ relational attitudes and skills and promote the positive motivational aspects that are central to this profession.

An educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathy to social work students in Finland

PurposeThe main goal of the one semester long intervention for first-year Bachelor of Social Services students was to enable them to increase their awareness of a variety of cultures and practices encountered in social pedagogical work and to support the development of their ability to interact empathically with clients.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this article is to describe an educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathic skills to social work students in higher education at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. We introduce the concept of Qualified Empathy to describe professional empathic working skills and define it as: Qualified Empathy requires compassion for empathic action and it includes the ability for professional self-reflection, emotional skills and a healthy set of boundaries. Qualified Empathy encompasses the ability to tell the difference between sympathy and empathy, as it includes the capacity to use compassion to act in an empathic way in professional contexts (Raatikainen et al., 2017). The study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise?FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, as in all studies, some limitations need to be taken into account. One limitation of this study is the size and “nature of data”. Secondly, challenges with the concept of Qualified Empathy need to be addressed and more research is needed to define it more concretely. Even so, as it is a new concept, we need more discussion on the differences in the definition of empathy and Qualified Empathy. However, this study offers one new perspective for discussion which is the need for empathy training, in social work education practices and in the field. An important ethical aspect of research emphasizes that its implementation must not be to the detriment of the people being researched (Juuti and Puusa, 2020, pp. 168).Practical implicationsOur findings demonstrate that educational interventions can improve students' empathy skills to more qualified skills. We emphasized that maintaining the skill demands continuous reflection as a lifelong process. This article provides an overview of an educational intervention to improve students' Qualified Empathy skills and suggests a definition for educators to frame the teaching of professional empathy or empathy in a professional context – especially in the social work context. Furthermore, with this educational intervention in social work, we offer a way to support the students to – not only – have a more professional approach to empathy but also to find a way to establish a more emotionally sustainable environment for professionals in social services. It is essential for social work education to focus on the growth of Qualified Empathy in students through supervision and guidance which supports their professional competence. By doing so, we contribute to the development of more sustainable working environments in the social work context.Social implicationsProfessional empathy is seen as an important factor in building a socially sustainable society from the perspectives of employees, clients and patients. We noticed that it is important to allow time and space for the learners to internalize the concept of Qualified Empathy. When we allow for this, students begin to recognize and assign more value to it and, as we suggest, they become more adept in their interactions and work with clients.Originality/valueThe study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise? The results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.

Емпіричне дослідження професійної емпатії майбутніх рятувальників

У статі проаналізовано основні погляди на проблемудіяльності в особливих умовах та особливості розвиткупрофесійної емпатії майбутніх рятувальників. Метою емпіричного дослідження є встановлення індивіду-ально-психологічних корелятів професійної емпатіїмайбутніх рятувальників. Методи: теоретичне ана-лізування та узагальнення; багатофакторний особи-стісний опитувальник “FPI”; “Діагностика емоційногоінтелекту” (Н. Холл); “Шкала емоційного відгуку” (“BalancedEmotional Empathy Scale – BEES”, А. Меграбяна –модифікація Н. Епштейна); “Діагностика рівня емпатій-них здібностей” В. Бойко; “Діагностика мотивації додосягнення успіху” Т. Елерса та “Діагностика мотиваціїуникнення невдач” Т. Елерса; “SACS” (S. Hobfoll, в адапта-ції Н. Водоп’янової і О. Старченкової); “Прогноз” (оцінканервово-психічної нестійкості); “Діагностика рівняготовності до ризику” А. Шуберт. Результати. Опи-сано соціально-психологічні особливості формуванняпрофесійної емпатії та подано визначення поняття“професійна емпатії рятувальника”. Встановлено, щоучасникам дослідження притаманний високий рівень емпатійності, високий рівень готовності до ризику,високий рівень мотивації до досягнення успіху, серед-ній рівень мотивації на уникнення невдач, високийрівень нервово-психічної стійкості, високий та серед-ній рівні розвитку просторових уявлень, схильністьдо асертивних дій, вміння встановлювати соціальнийконтакт, здатність управляти своїми емоціями, само-мотивованість, комунікабельність, врівноваженість,екстравертованість, відкритість та маскулінність.Також встановлено кореляти емпатії. Високий рівеньемпатії має тісні кореляційні зв’язки з такими показни-ками, як настановлення, що сприяють або перешкод-жають емпатії, проникаюча здатність до емпатії, готов-ність до ризику, високий рівень мотивації досягненняуспіху, комунікабельність, маскулінність, асертивні дії,емоційна обізнаність, високий рівень НПС, помірновисокий рівень мотивації уникнення невдач. Висновки. Кореляційним аналізуванням встановлено, щона емпатійність позитивно впливає виховання, а самерозвиток мотивації допомоги оточуючим. Здатністьдо емпатії сприятиме позитивній адаптації у суспіль-стві та встановленню соціальних контактів. Курсантиз низьким рівнем емпатії агресивні та схильні до жор-стокості, не прагнуть уникати невдачі або ж маютьпевні внутрішні страхи.

Urotherapist activities in caring for patients with pelvic floor disorders: a prospective single-center observational study

PurposePatients with pelvic floor disorders are growing in number. The aim of this study is to outline the main activities of a urotherapist, an advanced nurse practitioner, in the care of patients with pelvic floor disorders and to evaluate patient satisfaction with the service urotherapists provide.MethodsThe prospective single-center observational study was carried out from July 2016 to June 2018. Parameters used to assess the urotherapist activities included the number of consultations, type of counselling, time frame of consultations and therapy and patient satisfaction. In a subgroup of 38 patients, satisfaction with the urotherapy sessions was evaluated by a questionnaire.ResultsTotally, 1709 patients were examined by urogynecologists. Five hundred and fourteen (30%) with chronic pelvic floor disorders were subsequently referred to a urotherapist. Of these patients, 60% were at least 65 years old. The most common pelvic floor disorders (221 patients; 43%) were an overactive bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, chronic cystitis and pelvic pain syndrome; the second most common pelvic floor disorder was pelvic organ prolapsed (151 patients; 29%). Of the study subgroup comprising 38 patients, 32 (84%) returned the patient satisfaction questionnaire. All 32 patients specified their level of agreement with the urotherapist’s professional competence, empathy, temporal availability and quality of advice as “agree to strongly agree.”ConclusionsManagement by a urotherapist was highly appreciated. The role of the urotherapist as a care coordinator, their level of autonomy and barriers to the implementation in primary care requires further exploration.

Training the airport manager in a post-COVID-19 world

Understandably, the overall approach of airports to the post-COVID-19 pandemic has been focused on cultural adaptation with a view to securing economic sustenance. It follows therefore that economic sustenance would depend on whether the passenger would choose to go through a particular airport if he or she has other choices, particularly in transit. The operative word in this context would be ‘confidence’ that the airport would generate in the passenger. The qualities of service that airports have offered thus far are efficiency in delivering services and convenience. These essential qualities would have to mesh with a new relationship with the passenger whereby the airport offers assurance of awareness of the passenger’s health concerns. This paper discusses the possibilities available to airports in the digital age, with which airports can assure the passenger of information sharing in the overall consideration of health and privacy as well as act through a global system that encapsulates precautionary measures that airports could take based on their connectivity to the outside world. The paper also posits that at the centre of this shift of focus is the need to subvert the dominant paradigm of efficiency per se to a combination of efficiency and professional empathy. This is where the manager would come in, and in turn his role would be dependent on the management training he undergoes. In that sense, this paper serves both the manager and the trainer, where the manager would take away the essential elements of predictive intelligence, prioritising and strategising the needs of the passenger that would impact the entire journey of the passenger and not merely his airport experience. The trainer would benefit from the ethical, moral and legal concepts discussed herein that could be incorporated into the training package through the spectrum of digital technology.

Quality of Nursing Care: The contribution of Empathy, Spiritual Beliefs and Incentives on Nursing Staff

Introduction: Studies have shown the important role of empathy, spirituality and motivation of nursing staff in the quality of nursing care provided. Aim: The investigation of the impact of empathy, spiritual beliefs and incentives on nursing staff on the quality of nursing care provided. Methods: The majority of participants were university graduates (65 persons, 58%), women (95 persons, 84.8%) and married (67 persons, 59.8%). The mean age was 41.38 (± 8.98) years old. The following tools were used to collect data: For the assessment of the provided nursing care, a questionnaire of 19 questions was addressed to nursing staff assessing specific areas. A structured questionnaire consisting of 37 questions was used to estimate the degree of motivation (motivation). To evaluate empathy, the Toronto Composite Empathy Scale (TCES) questionnaire was used with questions about the cognitive and professional dimension of empathy in both personal and professional level. Results: There was a statistically significant positive correlation between spirituality and quality in nursing care (technical, informative, food, cleanliness, noise, nursing and hotel complex) (p &lt;0.05). In addition, statistically significant positive correlation was observed between emotional personal empathy as well as emotional professional empathy with quality in nursing care (noise) (p &lt;0.05). Statistically significant correlations were also found between motivation and quality in nursing care provided (p &lt;0.05), technical aspects, relationships – time, information, food, cleanliness, noise, nursing and hotel complexes. Conclusions: Research findings indicate the clear association between empathy, spirituality and motivation of nursing staff with the quality of nursing care provided.