Coaching nurses to care: Empathetic communication in challenging situations
Book Chapter
Hannan, J, Fonseca, M, Lara, EG et al. (2019). Coaching nurses to care: Empathetic communication in challenging situations
. 193-209. 10.1007/978-3-030-29876-0_12
Hannan, J, Fonseca, M, Lara, EG et al. (2019). Coaching nurses to care: Empathetic communication in challenging situations
. 193-209. 10.1007/978-3-030-29876-0_12
Empathy, an essential component of a caring patient/nurse relationship, is critical to quality care delivery. Empathetic communication is especially important in very difficult emotionally intense environments where there is severe illness and/or life-threatening situations (e.g., intensive care, emergency room). Studies have shown nurses in emotionally intense environments rarely respond with empathy because these busy, intense environments make empathetic communication challenging. Further, many nurses lack empathy training making it more challenging to respond using empathy. Research indicates nurses seek empathy training to communicate more effectively with patients/parents/family. Such training has the potential to improve quality care delivery, patient safety, and decrease burnout. This chapter will cover the types of training used to teach empathy, their outcomes, and scenario examples.
