Empathy Training Program for Nursing Staff
Condition: Empathy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The research purpose is to investigate the effectiveness of empathy training program for
      nurses, as well as to investigate the effectiveness of learning satisfaction for nurses and
      the empathy training program learning subjective experience of nurses.The quantitative method
      is the experimental research method using randomization. The nurses receiving the
      intervention of empathy training program are in the experimental group, while those who do
      not receive it are in the control group.
    

Detailed description: 
      "Empathy" is an important foundation for nurses to communicate with patients and establish
      trust relationships. If nurses lack of empathy literacy or cannot apply empathy communication
      skills, the role of establishing therapeutic interpersonal relationships with patients or
      family members will affect the professional performance of nurses and the quality of nursing
      care. Therefore, improving nurses' empathy literacy and practical application ability has a
      great correlation with good care quality. However, domestic and international research on the
      correlation of empathy for nurses are not enough and lack of training program, which show the
      topic of this research is worth exploring.

      The research purpose is to investigate the effectiveness of empathy training program for
      nurses, as well as to investigate the effectiveness of learning satisfaction for nurses and
      the empathy training program learning subjective experience of nurses.

      In order to make the evaluation of research effectiveness more specific and objective, and
      also hoped that nurses can be the subject of effectiveness evaluation, and have a deeper
      understanding of their subjective experiences and feelings. Therefore, the effectiveness
      evaluation of empathy training program for nurses is using method triangulation of the
      qualitative and quantitative research method.

      The quantitative method is the experimental research method using randomization. The nurses
      receiving the intervention of empathy training program are in the experimental group, while
      those who do not receive it are in the control group. The effectiveness assessment will use
      the Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS) and learning satisfaction scale, Empathy Construct
      Rating Scale (ECRS) required to be completed by both the experimental group and control
      group. ECRS perform the pre-test, post-test and post-post-test assessments. The pre-test
      perform before the implementation of empathy training program, and perform the post-test at
      week 8 the end of empathy training program, and after 8 weeks of post-test performed the
      post-post-test. Only experimental group require to complete learning satisfaction scale,
      perform the post-test at week 8 the end of empathy training program. Descriptive
      phenomenological research method is used as the qualitative method to explore the empathy
      training program learning subjective experience of nurses. This study will use purposive
      sampling to enroll experimental group who has received empathy training program learning, and
      then perform individual in-depth interviews after the end of empathy training program.
      Non-structured interview guides are used.

      Hopefully, this study may develop an empathy training program which is suitable for nurses.
      This can enhance the empathy literacy and practical application ability for nurses.
    

Intervention name(s): empathy training program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Empathy training, a total of 8 weeks of training (1 time a week, 1 hour each time)
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The quantitative method is the experimental research method using randomization. The nurses receiving the intervention of empathy training program are in the experimental group, while those who do not receive it are in the control group. The effectiveness assessment will use the Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS) and learning satisfaction scale, Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS) required to be completed by both the experimental group and control group. ECRS perform the pre-test and post-test assessments. The pre-test perform before the implementation of empathy training program, and perform the post-test at week 8 the end of empathy training program.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Nurses; Empathy Training Program; Effectiveness; Subjective Experience