Abstract
Purpose: The objectives of this study are to clarify nurse empathic engagement as perceived by patients with breast cancer and to reveal changes in patients through such an empathic engagement.
Method: The study subjects were 10 breast cancer patients who had undergone surgery. A qualitative inductive analysis was performed with data obtained during semi-structured interviews.
Results: Nurse empathic engagement as perceived by patients was grouped into four categories: “humanness,” “reciprocality,” “interest in the patient,” and “concern for the patient.” In addition, changes in patients through empathic engagement as perceived by themselves were grouped into four categories: “deepening of trust,” “positive change in outlook,” “frankness of self-expression,” and “decision-making with respect to treatment.”
Conclusion: Results show that the patients perceived the nurse empathic engagement from the humanness and interest of the nurse, and that such a perception caused encouraging changes in the nurse–patient relationship and positive influences on the future lives of patients.
