EMPATHY PROFILES AND HUMANISTIC BEHAVIOR SCORES OF REGISTERED NURSES WHO USE COMPUTERIZED AND NON-COMPUTERIZED NURSING DOCUMENTATION.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 140
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: Empathy profiles and humanistic behavior scores of hospital based registered nurses who use various systems of computerized or non-computerized nursing process documentation are investigated using a comparative, descriptive design. Empathy is measured with La Monica's (1980) Empathy Profile which has five subscales: nonverbal behavior, perceiving feelings and listening, responding verbally, respect of self and others and openness, honesty and flexibility. Humanistic behavior is measured with Fenton's (1980) Scale of Humanistic Behavior which has four dimensions: shared decision making, holistic selves, status equality and empathy. Results of three open-ended questions regarding the effects computers have on the nurse-patient relationship are also included.

This study was conducted based on published concerns about the dehumanizing effects computers might have in patient care environments and is intended to be an initial inquiry into the effects of computers on the nurse humanistic behaviors and empathy.

The sample consisted of 80 registered nurses working in eight units at four hospitals. Forty nurses worked on units where computers are used for nursing process documentation and forty nurses on paired units used traditional, non-computerized charting methods.

The initial concern that computers in patient care environments will dehumanize care is not supported by data in all three aspects of the study, the major finding in this research. Other findings include significant variations in empathy scores among hospitals and initial educational preparation, and a suggestion that the complexity and extent of computerization at the bedside affects nurse acceptance.

Most nurses in this study indicated that they believe computerization increases the time they spend with patients and does not change their behavior, particularly the nurse caring behaviors. However, nurses in non-computerized units have more negative expectations than nurses who actually use them.

Discussion of the findings includes implications of the results and suggestions for future research.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-06, Section: A, page: 2026.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1993.

School code: 0055.