Do Nurses' Empathy Affect the Outcome of Care - Literature review Example

Do Nurses & APOS: Empathy Affect The Outcome Of Care? Table of Contents Literature Review 3 Overview 3 Overview of Empathy 3 Empathy in Healthcare 5 Importance of Empathy in Healthcare 8 Burnout Issues in Empathic Care 10 Empathy Impact over the Outcome of Care 11 References 16 Literature Review Overview Reviewing the previously published work and research study is perceived to be one of the integral aspect of any research study that significantly assist in deriving and understanding brief overview related to subject matter of the research. Additionally, through the approach of literature review, researcher can develop the research problem along with different dimension of the research study. Furthermore, literature review will also assist in building solid foundation to conduct and complete a research study through gaining better insight of the issues associated with the subject matter of the research. This section of the research study, will provide a comprehensive understanding with regard to the theoretical aspects of the study with the assistance of various facts, information, as well as opinion gathered from secondary sources such as journals and literatures.Thus, this chapter of the study will provide an in-depth and comprehensive view regarding the role of empathy within the healthcare sector along with improving the outcome of care in healthcare practice. Overview of Empathy According to Decety (2010), empathy is regarded as the one’s ability to understand and respond to other’s perception through properly understanding what others are thinks and feels. Besides, in the human life empathy plays an important role in providing effective and motivational base to eradicate key issues prevailing within an individual. Similarly, Battarbee & et. al. (2012) affirmed that empathy is the ability to become aware, sensible, understand and sensitive towards other’s feeling, behaviour and attitudes. McColgin (2012) highlighted that empathy is intellectual identification of the situation in the similar manner as other’s are identified. Besides, it can also perceive to be sharing the same set of emotion with different people altogether. Additionally, it has also been affirmed that weather people feel empathy over other or not they all are dependent on different aspects amid each other. The level of empathy differs on the basis of individual’s behaviour and societies. The personal contacts among the people and the experiences that they share among their group are also among the most significant factors that builds empathy among people. Besides, with the advancement and transformation of technology and its impact over different stakeholders has also augmented the importance of the concept of empathy in the real practice, as one’s perception will have immense impact over the others (McColgin, 2012). On the other hand, Decety (2011) stated that empathy is regarded to be a highly influential interpersonal phenomenon, which is important means of social communication amid people. Furthermore, the level of empathy derives the due caring approach in people’s behaviour that enables them to live in a socialised manner. Apparently, the concept of empathy is highly applicable in different spectrum including feeling and concern for others, experiencing emotional match with others, knowing what other think and understanding behavior of people among others. In this regard, McDonald & Messinger (2010) argued that empathy work as a tool for psychological motivation for assisting people from distress situation. Additionally, the concept of empathy is derived as the mechanism to think, feel, and imagine as others do. Correspondingly, McLaren (2013) argues that empathy is people’s social as well as emotional ability that assist them to feel and understand the emotions, intensions, needs, and thoughts of others. Furthermore, the approach of empathy allows efficient interaction and supporting others. Thus, it can indeed be regarded as an important part of social and emotional skill that significantly assist in understanding and feel the emotion, thoughts, and other’s needs in such a manner that can offer their sensitivity, prospective and effective communicational skills (McLaren, 2013). However, Maibom (2014) affirmed that empathy carries various ranges of emotional responses that one have regarding what other feels and in the situation, they were in. Additionally, it is also perceived to be in a cognitive state to understand others behaviour. Empathy in Healthcare Scott (2011) affirmed that in the context of healthcare industry, empathy plays an integral role in deriving a positive outcome for the practitioners as well as patients. The effectiveness of treatment in this particular sector is also highly dependent upon the doctor-patients relationship. Besides, Scott (2011) highlighted that in most of the scenario when physician’s approaches the patient in a warm, gracious, and friendly manner, it is likely to provide effective outcome in comparison when patients receive basic consultations from the health care professional. The extent to which healthcare professional demonstrate empathy towards the patients from their services will have major impact over the patients experience and level of satisfaction gained from the care received. On the other hand, Scott (2011) has also revealed that in the absence of proper empathy over the patient, feeling and perception will likely to have negative impact over the patient’s satisfaction from the treatment received. In the healthcare setting, practitioner gets significant assistance in deriving the key problems of the patients based on the understanding of their emotional and cognitive empathy. Additionally, the mean of emotional and cognitive empathy helps the healthcare professionals in reducing level of stress and satisfaction through motivation. Apparently, communication is perceived to be a key mechanism of treatment in the healthcare practices. This resources allows the healthcare executives in providing improved care through maintaining the level of satisfaction, medication, lower the possibility of mistakes and malpractice in the treatment process. Scott (2011) further depicted that the prevalence of effective communication approach between the patient and physician enables to improve patient’s health, psychological and physical responses and level of pain in selective cases. Thus, the approach of empathy in the healthcare context facilitates the physician to understand the emotions of patients and provide improved care through effective treatment plan. Likewise, empathy significantly allows physician to build high level of trust and connect better with the patients on common ground (Scott, 2011). In this regard, Riess & et. al., (2011) argues that providing the patients centred care treatment and outcome is the key approach of the healthcare practices. Additionally, forming appropriate communication and relationship is relatively improved mean of providing effective care to the patients. Riess & et. al., (2011) has also affirmed that empathic communication enables healthcare associations in improving patient’s satisfaction, improving therapy, minimising the consequences of errors and malpractices that assist in overall treatment outcome. Besides, the study of Riess & et. al., (2011) also depicted that the practice of empathy possibly facilitates the physician to understand others’ emotional state and contribute to compensate their behaviour accordingly. Moreover, the study concluded that quality of patient care could be improved through integrating empathy in real practice, which not only allows physician to perceive the problems of patients but also enables them to make appropriate intervention plans. The most important reason for inappropriate treatment and chaos in the healthcare care arises when physician are not been able to coordinate in an appropriate manner with the patients. Thus, the approach of adaptation of empathic mean was to provide compassionate and coordinative care to the patients through understanding their emotional state and feeling (Riess & et. al., 2011). Correspondingly, Raab (2014) reveals the fact that people who were engaged in providing care to others considering empathy as the key component are likely to understand the suffering of others in order to effectively provide the appropriate care to alleviate their suffering. In the context of healthcare sector, the one who is having effective understanding with regard to the perception of others and work accordingly in the clinical practice assist effective care as well as treatment as compared to that physician who is unable to form proper coordination with the patients. In relation to the study of Raab (2014), it has also been stated that ineffectiveness in understanding the perception of the patients will likely to increase the possibility of errors in most of the clinical judgements as well as proper clinical decision making that can lead to adverse clinical outcomes at large. Besides, the approach of empathies in the healthcare context can only be formed through compassion and form deep understanding regarding the suffering of others. Additionally, based on the aspect of compassioning as depicted by Raab (2014), care provider can be able to interlink the patient condition and their approach with their reasoning patterns and allow them to make sound judgment in various critical situations for effectively dealing with various circumstances. The article also provided that integrating the approach of empathy in the clinical practice is becoming intensive part in the process to taking appropriate clinical judgements (Raab, 2014). Thus, the approach of thinking like patients will significantly allow health executives in building appropriate understanding regarding the problems of the patients and provide them appropriate benefits through providing with superior level of care. On the other hand, Cole-King & Gilbert (2011) stated that through integrating the approach of empathy in the healthcare domain, the practitioner can be able to improve the adverse condition of the patient, symptoms and enhances their level of satisfaction towards care and promote the overall wellbeing at large. Apart from it, the prior reason that healthcare centres highly concentrate on the assimilation of empathy in real practice is that it allow them to enhance their overall efficiency through eliciting needful information to form proper intervention plan (Cole-King & Gilbert, 2011). Besides, Cole-King & Gilbert (2011) also affirmed that empathy elevates to recognise emotional as well as cognitive aspects of individual. In the context of the current scenario healthcare industry, physicians need to deal with different range of uncertain situation that significantly led them to identify the key reason behind such occurrence prior to determining the necessary care plan to the patients. Consequently, the emphatic approach in healthcare is regarded to be the healing process rather than simply the mechanism of gathering information from the patients conveniently (Cole-King & Gilbert, 2011). Importance of Empathy in Healthcare According to Williams & et. al. (2014) the approach of empathy is paramount in the current scenario of healthcare practices in providing acute care to the patients through proper communication and rapport in understanding their problems and complication. Furthermore, introduction of empathy helps the healthcare workforce to provide greater insight regarding patient’s problems through understanding their prospective. Besides, Williams & et. al. (2014) also affirmed that with high level of empathy physician were directed to form proper diagnosis that ultimately induce them to provide superior level of care to the patients. Additionally, the empathetic approach in the clinical practices enables to reduce the possibility and consequences of errors and lower the demand of resources at large. However, the key reason o the development of the approach of empathy in healthcare was to engagement of the workforce of healthcare further ensure their connection with the patient problem through understanding their experiences in a significant manner altogether. Moreover, Williams & et. al. (2014) also depicted that by acknowledging the emotional state and feeling of the patients, the empathic approach will likely to empower the same to remain proactive in charge of their own healthcare. Consequently, with regard to the viewpoints of Tateke & et. al. (2013) in the context of healthcare organisations, maintaining true empathic approach with the patient is often regarded to be highly difficult and challenging, but at the same time it could also prove as highly beneficial if clinicians make use of the same appropriately. Besides, the approach will be highly advantageous for both healthcares providers as well as receivers if receivers perceived that providers appropriately understand their ideas, feelings and problems. Alternatively, as per Tateke & et. al. (2013) empathy holds a considerable importance within the healthcare setting for effective and efficient communication, as it helps the overall industry in forming proper understanding regarding the values, feelings, and emotions beyond the regime of history or the symptoms of patient’s disparities. Based on the perception of the patient healthcare provides empathy over the patients they can make various clinical decisions to provide superior degree of satisfactory services to the patients at large Tateke & et. al. (2013). Moreover, the patients also induce to have positive characteristics and approach over the providers and feel high level of comfort regarding their treatment and advices that care providers enables. Healthcare providers have been ensured with the unique opportunity to provide improved care and treatment through the practice of empathy towards the patients at large. In the current scenario healthcare organisational context, professionals require to meet their diverse needs as well as personal character for the patients. In this regard, Tateke & et. al. (2013) depicted that the interaction here not only get affected by what the healthcare providers performs but also the perception of patients regarding how the provides treats them with empathy also has an integral role. Thus, the healthcare providers performed verbal as well as non-verbal communication mode in emerging with effective treatment plan for the patients. Nevertheless, the policy of providing significant level of empathy in the clinical context is highly important to lead a positive outcome in the patient health through providing high level of satisfaction, reduction in the complication, lowing medical care cost and minimising the possibility of errors among others (Tateke & et. al., 2013). Burnout Issues in Empathic Care Portnoy (2011) affirmed that in relation to providing acute care to the patient, physician often depicts about the alarming level of personal as well as professional distress. Besides, most of the nurses reported to have the issue of burnout, which arises due to emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and lower sense of accomplishment. Besides, Portnoy (2011) also revealed that with the prevalence of the problem of burnout among the physician the quality care has also been affected that ultimately leads to dissatisfaction in patients, which primarily occurs owing to the, increase in the chances of error and decrease in the ability of patient to express their empathy (Portnoy, 2011). Similarly, Meldrum (2010) stated that burnout significantly affects and damage the physician care, high level of absenteeism, lower satisfaction over the jobs and high turnover rate, which further leads to growing the issue of burnout amid the physician. Besides, the burnout aspect is also highly developed in mind of the care givers when they are overwhelmed by the demand of their job role. Additionally, the extensive level of pressure and overloads of demand of care have significant impact over the prospects of providing effective empathy of care. Thus, this particular approach is often determined as a depersonalisation attitude amid the physicians, which significant reduces overall empathy within the healthcare domain. However, as per the study of Zenasni & et. al., (2012), burnout primarily has considerable influence with regard to the operations of the healthcare sector. It contributes towards diminishing the level of efficacy of the care givers with regard to empathetic care. Owing to this particular aspect, burnout is often regarded as a concept that destroys empathy to a greater extent (Zenasni & et. al., 2012). Empathy Impact over the Outcome of Care According to Moghaddasian & et. al. (2013), patient and their family member’s experiences extensive amount of stress that have considerable impact over their regular performances. In this regard, empathy plays an integral part that allows patients and healthcare providers to work in a corporative manner in providing improved patient outcome and provide high level of satisfaction with care. Besides, the quality of care highly depends on the relationship between nurses, patients, relatives and healthcare staffs. Furthermore, Moghaddasian & et. al. (2013) also affirmed that in order to provide improved care to the patients, healthcare professional should have comprehensive review of the patients and their family. The approach of empathy not only allow healthcare providers to provide appropriate counselling but also form effective communication that help them to provide progressive care or further increase the outcome. In this regard, the study of Moghaddasian & et. al. (2013) further concluded the fact that through improving the approach of empathic skills, healthcare providers can improve the needs of the patients and their family accordingly. Besides, with the implementation of the approach of empathic communication, healthcare physicians can encourage patients and their family members to take participation in planning and improve overall outcome of care (Moghaddasian & et. al., 2013). In addition, Decety & Fotopoulou (2015) argues that there are various grounds owing to which empathy is perceived to be highly valuable in the healthcare practices. For instance the empathetic attitude significantly allow clinicians to congregate various invaluable data and information through building trustworthy approach that assist in improving overall outcome of care. Besides, through building the empathic approach, healthcare outcome can be improved by improving the level of satisfaction of the patients. Apart from Decety & Fotopoulou (2015) also affirmed that empathy is having an important contribution in not only improving the outcome of the patients but also for the success of the physicians. Alternatively, empathic attitudes will allow physicians to provide care based on their expectation and perception regarding the patients, which is likely to develop the felling of safety, satisfaction, trust and social competiveness in the mind of the patients. Thus, the aspect of clinical empathy is regarded to be quite essential for healthcare practice that allows planning the treatment initiative through changing the behavior of the physicians (Decety & Fotopoulou, 2015). Similarly, in the overall respect it has evidently ascertain that empathic style of understanding allow to from superior doctor-patient relationships that has acknowledged the impact beyond drugs and treatments for overall improvement of patient care (Decety & Fotopoulou, 2015). Based on the study of Derksen & et. al. (2013), it has been ascertained that proper communication is paramount requirement or rather the basic component of the providing acute care to the patient. However, empathy skill in the healthcare setting allow physicians to ascertain the inner feeling and attitude of the patient and obtain key information that will effective assist in recognising the problem of the patient for inducing improved care plan for them. Furthermore, Derksen & et. al. (2013) also exempted that empathy allow in improving the overall patient satisfaction through adherence of their key problems, decreasing the level of anxiety and distress, and providing improved clinical outcome among others. Consequently, Brunero & et. al. (2010) stated that in respect to the healthcare practices as sound decision making and judgemental plan, highly dependents on the manner in which healthcare physician able to understand the symptoms and develop the necessary treatment plan to cure the symptom and adverse effects of the problem. Thus, the appropriateness of the clinical judgment highly depends on whether the physician exercises the problem of the patient in right manner or not. Thus, the approach of empathy allow the patients and physician to form mutual corporation and coordination in taking effective decision and care plan though understanding the problem of the patient accordingly. Besides, it will also enable the physicians to make appropriate decisions regarding the care and treatment mechanism to be followed for a particular patient (Misra-Hebert, 2012). In relation to the above context, Birhanu & et. al. (2010) argues that the interaction among the patient and physician is the key platform in providing effective care to the patient. Empathy attitude in the clinical practice enables the healthcare providers to have effective understanding about the mental thinking and feeling of the patient through acquiring comprehensive knowledge of patient’s behaviour. Besides, it is equally important in providing acute care to the patients to have sound awareness of the situation and accordingly make the intervention plan. Additionally, Birhanu & et. al. (2010) also depicted that effective empathic approach will also mean the efficacy of treatment initiated that enable the gathering of wider health care information for improving the overall output care ranging from the symptoms, emotion, perceptions, partiality, belief, feeling and other useful information. Accordingly, the attitude of empathy in clinical practice enable the clinicians to make improved decision in a critical scenario through understanding the emergency needs and better understanding of situation with the help of their experience, learning, and situational approach. Besides, it also enables to form proper match of the complexity of the judgement with the cognitive level of the patient and work in a functional manner as a team to create proper coordination to improve the outcome of care (Birhanu & et. al., 2010). On the other hand, Ouzouni & Nakakis (2012) affirmed that the approach of empathy is highly complex and multidimensional phenomena, which has been integrated in the healthcare practice to understand the aspect of emotions and feeling. Besides, in the healthcare practice empathy is integral component in forming the care relationship and improving the quality of care. Thus, it been important that clinicians should from the environment of high level of interaction with the patients for ensuring better information sharing and based on which they can prepare a quality treatment plan. Additionally, Ouzouni & Nakakis (2012) also affirmed that in the current scenario of the healthcare industry, healthcare providers highly requires various knowledge as well as understanding for the patients in providing superior level of care and treatment service in accordance to the need of patient. Additionally, the approach of empathy in the healthcare is also able to form improved care through communication with the patient and their family during the time of disparities that essentially safeguard in meeting the outcome of the care. This will significantly allow the healthcare physician in integrating the patient and their family needs and perception with the outcome of the care. Besides, the approach of empathy also enables to make improved clinical judgments regarding the patient care based on the needs and the requirement of the patients through taking important step to solve the immediate problem of the patients. In order to provide improved care, it been far important to understand the problems in the best possible manner through integration of the physician’s experience and patient’s perceptions (Ouzouni & Nakakis 2012). Canale & et. al. (2012) affirmed that through emphasising on the empathy, patients have been able to experience significant improvement in the domain of their overall outcome of the patient healthcare. Additionally, the practice of empathy allow the clinician to integrate what they perceive the situation of patient and their problems along with perception of the patient in providing improve care and treatment services in the long run. Besides, Canale & et. al. (2012) also stated that through proper empathy over patient’s perception, the clinical staffs may also able to develop their initial reasoning and work accordingly in difficult situation in the best possible manner. In addition, through interpretation of the information that physician avail with empathic approach helps the physician to derive the best course of action in the healthcare practices that ultimately assist in improving the overall outcome of patient’s health (Canale & et. al., 2012). Hence, from the overall analysis of the paper, it is apparent that empathy has significant influence on the level of care provided to the patients within the healthcare sector. It is a particular concept that relates with providing care services to the patients based on the understanding gained with regard to their feelings, behavior and attitude emphatically. Correspondingly, burnout also has significant impact on the level of efficacy of empathy care. Higher level of burnout amid healthcare professionals significantly contributes towards decreasing the level of efficacy of providing empathy care to the patients within the healthcare industry sector. References Battarbee, K. Suri, J. F. Howard, S. G., 2012. Empathy on the Edge. IDEO, pp. 1-14. Brunero, S. Lamont, S. & Coates, M.., 2010. A Review of Empathy Education in Nursing. Nursing Inquiry, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 65–74. Birhanu, Z. Assefa1, S. Woldie, M. & Morankar1, S., 2010. Determinants of Satisfaction with Health Care Provider Interactions at Health Centres in Central Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study. BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 10, No. 78, pp. 1-12. Canale, S. D. Louis, D. Z. Maio, V. Wang, X. Rossi, G. Hojat, M. & Gonnella, J. S., 2012. The Relationship Between Physician Empathy and Disease Complications: An Empirical Study of Primary Care Physicians and Their Diabetic Patients in Parma, Italy. Academic Medicine, Vol. 87, No. 9, pp. 1243-1249. Cole-King, A. & Gilbert, P., 2011. Compassionate Care: The Theory and the Reality. Journal of Holistic Healthcare, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 1-37. Decety, J., 2010. Understanding Empathy. Collaborative Research, pp. 1-2. Decety, J., 2011. The Neuroevolution of Empathy. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci, Vol. 1231, pp. 35-45. Derksen, F. Bensing, J. & Lagro-Janssen, A., 2013. Effectiveness of empathy in general practice: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice, Vol. 63, No. 606, pp. 76-84. McColgin, D., 2012. Empathy: Design Tool and Outcome. Artefact Reports, pp. 1-11. McLaren, K., 2013. The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Lifes Most Essential Skill. Sounds True. Maibom, H. L., 2014. Empathy and Morality. Oxford University Press. Moghaddasian, S. Dizaji, S. L. & Mahmoudi, M., 2013. Nurses Empathy and Family Needs in the Intensive Care Units. Journal of Caring Sciences, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 197-201. McDonald, N. M. & Messinger, D. S., 2010. The Development of Empathy: How, When, and Why. University of Miami, pp. 1-36. Meldrum, H., 2010. Exemplary Physicians’ Strategies for Avoiding Burnout. The Health Care Manager, Vol. 29, No 4, pp. 324–331. Misra-Hebert, A. Isaacson, J. H. Kohn, M. Hull, A. D. Hojat, M. Papp, K. KK. & Calabrese, L., 2012. Improving Empathy of Physicians through Guided Reflective Writing. International Journal of Medical Education, Vol. 3, pp. 71-77. Ouzouni, C. & Nakakis, K., 2012. An Exploratory Study of Student Nurses’ Empathy. Health Science Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 534-552. Portnoy, D., 2011. Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Watch for the Signs. Health Progress, pp. 47-50. Riess, H. Kelley, J. M. Bailey, R. W. Dunn, E. J. & Phillips, M., 2011. Empathy Training for Resident Physicians: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Neuroscience-Informed Curriculum. Journal of General Internal Medicine, Vol. 26, No.1, pp. 1-9. Raab, K., 2014. Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Empathy among Health Care Professionals: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, Vol. 20 pp. 95-108. Scott, H., 2011. Empathy in Healthcare Settings. Goldsmiths Research, pp. 1-233. Tateke, T. Woldie, M. & Ololo, S., 2013. Determinants of Perceived Health Care Provider Empathy at Public and Private Hospitals in Central Ethiopia. Science Journal of Public Health, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 156-164. Williams, B. Brown, T. McKenna, L. Boyle, M. J. Palermo, C. Nestel, D. Brightwell, R. McCall, L. & Russo, V., 2014. Empathy Levels among Health Professional Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at Two Universities in Australia. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, Vol. 5, pp. 107-113. Zenasni, F. Boujut, E. Woerner, A. & Sultan, S., 2012. Burnout and Empathy in Primary Care: Three Hypotheses. The British Journal of General Practice, Vol. 62, pp. 346–347. Read More