Factors Associated with Empathy toward Elderly Adults with Dementia in Nurses Working on Acute General Wards

Abstract

A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate nurses' level of empathy toward elderly adults with dementia, and associated factors. A questionnaire was sent to 1,064 nurses working on acute general wards. The response rate was 70.7%, and the mean length of employment was 10.8±9.2 years. The Empathic Experience Scale Revised (EESR) results showed that the mean score for sharing experience was 32.55 (9.55), while that for insufficient sharing experience was 31.45 (10.25). Factors associated with empathy toward elderly adults with dementia included reflection on nurses' own relationship with the patients; the way of assessing the patients' physical and social characteristics; likes and dislikes regarding communication with the patients; and teamwork among medical professionals for implementation of care. EESR results were not significantly associated with nurses' individual characteristics or surrounding physical environment. These results suggest that factors associated with empathy in nurses were associated with consciously changeable features, such as the interpersonal environment at work and abilities attained through learning and experience in nursing care.