Page 180 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

EMPATHY n 147

the neural mechanisms underlying empa- Mercer and Reynolds (2002) described a
thy. Schulte-Ruther, Markowitsch, Fink, and variety of assessment and feedback techniques
Piefke (2007) significantly correlated neu- used in the delivery of holistic consultations E
ral activity with empathic abilities. Vollm and concluded that empathy improved cli-
et al. (2006) conducted a study confirming ent outcomes. They also found that empathic
that Theory of Mind and empathy stim- responses were improved in students by the
uli are associated with neuronal networks. use of experiential teaching methods. Evans,
Hurlemann et al. (2010) provided the first Wilt, Alligood, and O’Neil (1998) addressed
demonstration that oxytocin can “facilitate empathy as a multidimensional phenome-
amygdala-dependant, socially reinforced non and stressed the importance of under-
learning and emotional empathy in men” standing two types of empathy: basic and
(p. 4999). trained. They likened basic empathy to natu-
Early nursing research conducted in ral, raw, or ordinary feelings for others such
the area of empathy indicated that empathy as the innate tendency of a child to cry when
development programs had little to no effect recognizing distress in another human. They
on enhancing empathy. However, later stud- likened trained empathy to increased empa-
ies have indicated that empathy can be sig- thy as a result of knowledge and education.
nificantly improved and successfully taught They used the Layton Empathy Test and the
and that nurse educators can enhance basic Hogan Empathy Scale to measure trained
empathy among nursing students. and basic empathy in 106 nursing students
Teherani, Hauer, and O’Sullivan (2008) and found that trained empathy was not
used standardized patient simulations to sustained over time, causing the research-
assess learners’ empathic behaviors and dis- ers to call into question attempts by nursing
covered methods to enhance learner deficits faculties to teach empathy to students. They
in empathic responses. Vanlaere, Coucke, emphasized the importance of obtaining a
and Gastmans (2010) conducted empathy measurement of students’ baseline empa-
sessions in simulation laboratories with thy as a way of monitoring changes in basic
the aim of generating empathy in care pro- empathy after exposure to various empathy
viders and student nurses. The participant learning modalities. Evans et al. (1998) sug-
experiences lead to insight into their own gested new approaches to facilitate students’
perceptions and promoted ethical reflection. discovery of their basic empathy and empha-
Simulation of empathy sessions “can elicit a sized that basic empathy can be identified,
break from conformist thinking and treat- reinforced, and refined to develop expertise
ment, [initiate] a readjustment of one’s own in the expression of empathy.
visions, and often [stimulate] an adjustment Oz (2001) conducted a quasi-experimen-
of behavior” (p. 335). Webster (2010) used a tal investigation of empathy with 260 nurses
creative reflective teaching strategy in an who were randomly assigned to intervention
attempt to enhance empathy in nursing stu- and control groups. They used Dokmen’s
dents. Results of this study suggested that Scale of Empathic Skills and the Empathic
creative reflective experience facilitated the Tendency Scale to measure empathic com-
development of the nursing student–client munication skills and empathic tendency
relationship and promoted empathy. idczak levels. Their intervention consisted of educa-
(2007) used hermeneutic phenomenology to tion about empathic communication. Results
investigate how nursing students learn the indicated that nurses gained empathic com-
art and science of nursing. She concluded munication skills as a result of empathy
that empathy development is improved over training
time and that self-reflection and experience Wikstrom (2001) investigated the effect
enhanced empathic care. of an intervention program on student nurses