Does an Educational Intervention Focused on Empathy Increase Knowledge Among Clinicians Dealing with Chronic Pain Patients?

Date of Conferral

11-3-2023

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Mark Wells

Abstract

The need for empathy, a key component of providing high-quality patient care, is even more apparent in the field of pain management. Chronic pain is infamous for the way it may weaken a person, leaving them feeling alone and misunderstood. Thus, the ability to appropriately manage pain is crucial for nurses. Guided by Watson’s theory of human caring and Carl Roger’s person-centered approach, the purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to determine if an educational module focused on empathy increases knowledge and awareness among clinicians. Twenty-three clinicians were invited to participate, and 20 clinicians volunteered to participate in the educational intervention. Following a pretest survey of 10 True/False questions, participants (N = 20) reviewed a PowerPoint presentation on empathy and completed a posttest survey of 10 True/False questions. There was no difference in pre postsurvey scores for items 1 through 5. The percent of correct responses improved for questions 5 through 10 by 10% to 30%. Participants were also asked to assess their awareness of empathy using a Likert scale between 1 and 7, with 1 = No awareness at all and 7 = Full awareness. The number of staff with improved rating of confidence in being empathetic for the pre to postsurvey was 12; the number who stayed the same was 3; and the number who declined in rated empathy was 5. This project contributes to positive social change by improving empathy skills among clinicians, which can lead to improved patient and organizational outcomes.

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