Empathy, a key skill for quality nursing care

Through empathy, nursing professionals can gain a better perspective on the feelings and thoughts of patients and their families, as well as understand how they act and react to care. Empathy is described as an essential trait for more humane care and as a characteristic element of nursing professio...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Aparicio-Ángeles, K. M., Pintado-González, A.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Enfermería Universitaria
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1526
Acceso en línea:https://revista-enfermeria.unam.mx/ojs/index.php/enfermeriauniversitaria/article/view/1526
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:empatía
aptitud
calidad de la atención de salud
atención de enfermería
humanización de la atención
empathy
aptitude
quality of health care
nursing care
humanization of assistance
empatia
aptidão
qualidade da assistência à saúde
cuidados de enfermagem
humanização da assistência
Descripción
Sumario:Through empathy, nursing professionals can gain a better perspective on the feelings and thoughts of patients and their families, as well as understand how they act and react to care. Empathy is described as an essential trait for more humane care and as a characteristic element of nursing professionalism. In the clinical setting, empathy becomes relevant when it becomes a cardinal aspect of patient safety, so it would be necessary to consider it a key element to prevent adverse events and improve the quality of care. Two of the means by which nursing professionals can develop empathy are active listening and effective communication. Effective communication must not be limited to the simple exchange of information, but rather become an action capable of connecting the nursing professional with the patient and family in a safe and understanding space. Empathy is a skill that manifests itself in intentional and sustained professional actions, which requires nursing professionals to integrate cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that support their professional thinking, feelings, and actions. Nursing practice requires a clear understanding of the responsibility for care and an awareness of one's own ethical values, which, during training and through teaching and learning, will be linked to the disciplinary ethical values to form empathetic professional actions.