Nursing is a profession known for caring for others. As nurses, we work closely with patients, their families and loved ones, and our professional peers. It is natural to develop bonds and feel emotionally connected to others in our line of work. One important quality nurses develop is the ability to show empathy. If you are new to nursing or wonder what makes it different from other nursing characteristics, you may ask, “What is empathy in nursing?”
In this article, I will answer that question and share insight about the importance of empathy in nursing. As you read on, you will learn reasons why it is important to be an empathetic nurse, some most common examples of empathy in nursing, the challenges of demonstrating empathy, and how to overcome them.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, empathy is defined as the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. Empathy in nursing is the ability to demonstrate an emotional reaction of understanding or pity toward your patients.
Empathy, sympathy, and compassion are often used interchangeably; however, their meanings are not entirely synonymous. Sympathy is your ability to understand what a person is feeling. Compassion in nursing is when you recognize the pain and suffering of others and demonstrate a willingness to alleviate their suffering. Empathy in nursing is your ability to see, understand, and share your patient’s feelings and views on a more personal level and without being judgmental.
As nurses, learning and honing various skills is essential. In addition to clinical skills and theoretical knowledge, we are expected to demonstrate behaviors characteristic of nurses, such as compassion, sympathy, and empathy. Empathy in nursing, for example, is a characteristic that helps promote positive patient and organizational outcomes. The following are seven reasons why empathy in nursing practice is important.
When patients feel nurses connect with them, understand their feelings, and genuinely relate to their situations, they feel more at ease communicating openly. Communication is essential in developing good nurse/patient relationships. Therefore, when we demonstrate empathy in nursing, we create an atmosphere conducive to establishing and promoting healthy nurse/patient relationships.
Some studies indicate that empathy in nursing leads to increased patient satisfaction, which leads to improved compliance with treatment plans, resulting in better patient outcomes. The reason for this is that when patients feel nurses truly understand their situation and that they are acting in their best interest, it is easier to trust them and feel confident that the nurse has good intentions, which leads to better compliance and improved health outcomes.
Times of illness or injury can be frightening and leave patients feeling alone. In these times, it is especially important for us to realize their needs and to try and relate with our patients as much as possible. When we show empathy toward our patients, we create a personal connection with them, which makes them feel as if we relate to them as a person, not just a number or name on a chart. As we demonstrate empathy in nursing and recognize our patients as individuals with unique needs, they experience a feeling of worth despite their circumstances, which leads to improved feelings of satisfaction with the care they receive. Good patient satisfaction rates are essential in healthcare as they can lead to better clinical outcomes, improved patient compliance, patient loyalty, and fewer negligence or malpractice suits.
One of the reasons why empathy in nursing is important and considered one of the main qualities of a good nurse is that it can help you identify and respond appropriately to your patient’s needs. Empathy helps you focus on your patient’s thoughts and feelings and take their viewpoint into consideration when developing care plans and implementing treatment plans.
Empathy in nursing applies to more than the nurse/patient relationship; it is also essential when dealing with our peers in the nursing profession. When we learn to demonstrate empathy toward other nurses and interprofessional team members, we recognize the individuality of each team member and show that we understand and appreciate what they go through. When team members feel we care about and truly want to understand their perspectives, it creates a work environment conducive to productivity, which promotes positive patient and organizational outcomes.
Empathetic nurses understand patient struggles and fears. Because empathy in nursing makes it possible to relate to what patients are experiencing, it helps us become better advocates on their behalf. The interrelationship between empathy and advocacy occurs because patients who feel nurses empathize with them are more likely to build trusting relationships with their nurses, which means open communication where their wants and needs are more openly discussed occurs. When patients are comfortable sharing their thoughts on their health and feel like their wants and needs are important, we can take the information shared with us to advocate on their behalf.
There seems to be a strong correlation between one’s ability to show empathy and the tendency to experience emotional issues at work, with the most empathetic nurses being less likely to report feelings of anxiety, depression, or other emotional or mental health symptoms. In fact, according to an article published by the National Library of Medicine, “Lack of empathy is correlated with physical, emotional, and work-related issues such as depression, burnout, sleep, disturbance, and poor concentration, all of which could negatively impact patient care.”
(The following are the 10 most common examples of how nurses can demonstrate empathy in nursing.)
One’s social environment can significantly impact their emotional responses. You can promote a sense of well-being and empathy by providing a calm environment for your patients. Simple steps such as ensuring the patient’s room is clean and tidy and reducing unnecessary noise are helpful.
Even if you have never experienced illness or hospitalization, acknowledging your patient’s feelings as legitimate is one way to show empathy. When you acknowledge your patient’s feelings, they feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with you. A patient’s feelings about their health or symptoms are one type of data that nurses collect when assessing patients. Therefore, it is essential that patients feel comfortable sharing with you.
Being sick and needing medical care can be a frightening time. For some patients, it leads to frustration and may leave them feeling as though doctors and nurses think they know what is best and are not interested in what they want. When you show interest in what your patient says, you make them feel like they are valued and have a say in their care, which is beneficial in promoting a more positive provider/patient relationship.
One of the first steps in showing empathy in nursing is relating with your patient. You can relate to them by asking questions to get to know them. For example, ask about where they are from and what kind of work they do or did. Do they have a family/children? What things interest them? Chances are, you will find at least a few things you have in common that you and your patient can relate to one another about, which can help establish rapport and begin the development of a good nurse/patient relationship.
Have you ever been to an appointment that was important and felt like the person you were scheduled to see was distracted or did not have time to focus on you? Imagine being sick or injured and feeling that way. An empathetic nurse understands that patients need personal attention. You can demonstrate empathy in nursing by making each patient encounter individualized and personal. It is understandable that you may not have an extended time to spend with each patient at each encounter, but you can make the most of the time you have.
When I taught nursing and allied health, one of my favorite subjects was communication. I loved using classroom activities to demonstrate effective communication methods, especially ways of showing how body language can give off different messages. To show empathy in nursing, it is important that we are mindful of our body language and how we relate to patients.
Your body language should reflect a sense of calm and assurance. You can demonstrate this by sitting or standing close to your patient, listening attentively, or (when appropriate) holding their hand or placing your hand on their shoulder. Avoid standing over your patient or hovering over someone who is sitting or lying down. When possible, get at eye level.
An important aspect of body language, and one that I believe deserves expounding upon, is eye contact. Making eye contact with someone shows genuine interest. It is a simple yet profound way of demonstrating empathy in nursing. Eye contact is helpful in making an emotional connection. Eye contact is also often associated with sincerity and truthfulness, which means it is helpful in establishing a trusting relationship between you and your patients.
Like other body language, nonverbal cues often give patients the feeling that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say or how they feel. A few nonverbal cues you can easily implement into your conversations with patients include affirmative head nodding, leaning forward to listen, patient-directed eye contact, and smiling.
Despite our best efforts, we all have feelings that can result in prejudices of some type. As nurses, it is crucial that we recognize personal prejudices and reign in any feelings that could impact the way we interact with our patients. One article I found interesting from the American Association of Family Practitioners offers interesting tactics that I believe any healthcare professional, including nurses, can use to identify, challenge, and overcome personal prejudices and provide better patient care.
As nurses, it is common for us to multitask and to do it often. However, one of the most crucial factors in showing empathy in nursing is to keep the focus on your patient. Failure to keep the focus on the patient because we are distracted can give a sense of being uninterested or show a sense of disregard, which can negatively impact the nurse/patient relationship and could result in poor patient outcomes.
Although some situations may require your attention to handle several things, you can promote a positive patient experience by acknowledging your patient’s presence and asking for their input in any decisions. Also, if there are tasks that require your attention elsewhere, you can help reduce the chance of your patient feeling neglected or disregarded by explaining that your attention is needed, but you will return.
Although empathy in nursing is an essential quality, there are some situations that make demonstrating empathy challenging. If you know the challenges, it is possible to prepare and overcome them when they occur. The following are five of the most common challenges nurses face when trying to show empathy and how to overcome them.
One of the biggest challenges to showing empathy in nursing is the feeling of being overworked. It is no secret that there is a nationwide shortage of nurses. What this shortage means for working nurses is longer hours. With fewer nurses, the struggle to keep up and provide quality care is greater, which results in nurses feeling overwhelmed and overworked. When you are overworked, even with your best efforts, it is sometimes hard to show empathy.
There are some things you cannot change, like the number of patients assigned to you or whether you work short-staffed. Therefore, being overworked is something that you may deal with from time to time. Although being overworked is not totally unavoidable, you can learn to manage your emotions and identify when you need help so that your ability to demonstrate empathy is not negatively impacted.
If you feel overwhelmed or like the work is too much to handle, talk to your manager or team leader. Ask for help when you need it. Even though it may not seem like it, one way to show empathy in nursing is to recognize when you need help and seek it instead of working overwhelmed and allowing the negative consequences to impact patient care and outcomes.
No matter how empathetic you are, demanding patients can try your patience and make you feel anything but empathetic or compassionate. Nevertheless, it is important to try to work through the challenges and demonstrate empathy as much as possible.
I consider myself an optimistic person, but I must admit that demanding people and I do not usually go well together. However, in all my years of nursing, I have learned to look at the situation of demanding patients a little differently. When you have demanding patients, I recommend trying to imagine yourself in their situation. How would you feel if you had just received a frightening diagnosis or if you were in terrible pain? What if you experienced a traumatic accident or injury?
In situations like this, it is normal for people to act differently. As nurses, we must remember that the fear response may lead to our patients not only having changes in vital signs but also having altered personalities and becoming more demanding. Set an atmosphere of calm and try to reassure your patient. Take the time to answer their questions and make them feel like they are a priority.
Another factor to consider that impacts the level of empathy we have is the environment wherein we work. Even the most empathetic nurses among us, when subjected to poor work environments, can eventually develop a lack of empathy in nursing. Whether the lack of empathy results from sheer frustration or as a response to others' poor behavior, it can have negative consequences on us, our peers, our patients, and our organizations.
A poor work environment can affect everyone from patients, staff, and visitors. While none of us can single-handedly change everything negative about where we work, we can work to make necessary changes on an individual level. Try being the nurse who encourages others. Reach out to team members and other staff when you see they are stressed or need a hand. Let patients see you have a positive attitude and a willingness to help them and your peers. Although these seem like menial things, in the long run, they can have a significant impact on your work environment, promoting better nurse/patient and interprofessional relationships.
One of the major challenges nurses face in showing empathy in nursing is empathy fatigue. Simply stated, empathy fatigue is the term used to describe the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that occurs when providing long-term emotional support to others. It is a common occurrence in people who are overexposed to the emotional needs of others, such as nurses and other healthcare workers. The medical rationale for empathy fatigue is that overexposure to others' emotional needs leads to increased stress levels, which causes an increase in cortisol levels, which in turn results in an inability to show compassion.
The importance of self-care in nursing is something I cannot stress enough. It is the first step in overcoming empathy fatigue. A solid commitment to personal wellness, awareness of triggers that lead to empathetic triggers, and self-care needs will be instrumental in helping you overcome empathy fatigue.
Because empathy is a relational human interaction that is influenced by the behavior of others, a lack of empathy in nursing often results from poor leadership.
As nurses, we all have a responsibility to demonstrate good leadership qualities, even if we do not have a leadership title, and demonstrating empathy despite difficult situations is one of the ways we can do that. Although it is difficult at times, you can overcome the challenge of poor leadership by demonstrating leadership qualities yourself.
Practicing empathy in nursing requires us to imagine ourselves in our patients' situations, demonstrate a connection with them, and act on our understanding of how they feel to help enhance better care and promote positive outcomes. There are some key things that you can do to help improve your ability to practice empathy in nursing, including the following.
One of the most important steps in showing empathy in nursing is to show true concern when your patients talk with you. Listen intently to what they say and let them know that what they say means something to you. Be attentive to their questions and concerns. Ask open-ended questions, which encourages your patients to discuss things with you and gives you the opportunity to gather more information.
If you have ever been sick and needed medical attention, you know how frightening it can be. As nurses, it is common for us to be pulled in different directions, especially when we are short-staffed and have multiple patients in need. However, it is our job to treat each patient as a priority. Take the time to remember how you felt as a patient or to imagine what you would want if you were in your patient’s situation and act the way you would want your nurse to act toward you. It does not take much effort to be genuinely kind or considerate, but it could make a significant difference in the type of relationship you build with your patients.
I understand what it is like working a busy shift and feeling like you have too little time to get all your work done. In the rush to accomplish each task, if we are not careful, we can make patients feel more like a number or just another case we are working on. If you want to practice true empathy in nursing, though, it is crucial to learn to take the time to acknowledge the humanity of your patients. Call them by name. Ask them about their jobs, families, and anything that interests them. Make each encounter with them personal. When you make patient encounters personal, you open the door to building rapport with your patients, which fosters good nurse/patient relationships.
A key step in being an empathetic nurse is learning the importance of cultural competence in nursing. Being culturally competent means understanding and respecting the values, beliefs, and attitudes of your patients with diverse cultural backgrounds. You do not have to agree with one's beliefs to demonstrate respect or understanding, but you can demonstrate cultural competence by simply showing respect and a willingness to learn and understand the differences between diverse cultures. Your efforts in doing so help to establish a more trusting nurse/patient relationship, which is conducive to promoting positive patient outcomes.
Nursing is a career most associated with compassion and caring, and one of the best ways to demonstrate those qualities is to show empathy for others. With so much expected of us, it is easy to become confused about each characteristic or quality that we need to have or demonstrate. You may have found this article wondering, “What is empathy in nursing?” To answer your question, I shared some examples of empathy in nursing. You also learned reasons why empathy in nursing is important, the challenges of being empathetic, and ways to overcome them. As a nurse, I understand the difficulties you may face and the toll being emotionally involved can have. However, I also understand that healthy empathy and good professional boundaries can make your job more enjoyable and improve patient and professional outcomes.
Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and Allied Health educator with over twenty years of experience. She has assisted in developing curriculum for nursing programs and has instructed students at both community college and university levels. Because of her love of nursing education, Darby became a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach and assists nursing graduates across the United States who are preparing to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
