A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE NATURE OF EMPATHY

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the nature o f empathy, as perceived and experienced by registered nurses. A phenom enological approach was selected, with nine experienced staff nurses w orking in surgical settings being interviewed using an open, unstructu red approach. Empathy was evidently felt to be beneficial, displayed b oth non-verbally and through the nurse's actions, and therefore the ab ility to empathize, and to feel empathy with the individual patient, n eeds supporting and promoting in nurses. The importance of learning fr om experience (both personal and professional), and the ability to com municate effectively, are both highlighted by this study. The nature o f empathy is evidently multi-faceted, and the presence of empathy is i nfluenced by a complex relationship between the individual nurse, pati ent and the environment. It should be recognized that environmental is sues, such as high workload and stress, also affect ability to empathi ze.