Concept Analysis of Empathy in Nursing

Introduction: Empathy appears to be an important concept in the interpersonal repertoire of nurses. A number of definitions and models of empathy are available in the literature. The aim of this paper was to analyze the concept of empathy using Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis Method: Keywords of empathy and nursing were searched in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ProQuest, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Index, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Medline databases. Articles published during the last ۱۵ years in any of these databases were examined. Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis was used to identify major themes, areas of agreement and disagreement across disciplines, changes in the concept over time, and emerging trends. Results: Five conceptualizations of empathy including empathy as a human trait, empathy as a professional state, empathy as a communication process, empathy as caring, and empathy as a special relationship were revealed. Conclusion: Nursing, as a profession, must have an independent analysis of empathy in its context.

کلیدواژه ها:

Concept analysis ، Evolutionary method ، Empathy ، communication ، Nurse-Patient