Social skills of women attending a course for community nurses. Empathy, assertiveness and patient security

Abstract

SOCIAL SKILLS OF WOMEN ATTENDING A COURSE FOR COMMUNITY NURSES. EMPATHY, ASSERTIVENESS AND PATIENT SECURITY

The time that a patient spends in hospital or in any other medical establishment should be connected with both physical and psychological security. Physical security consists in eliminating technical mistakes, which may result from inappropriate usage of medical equipment. Apart from decent conditions of staying in hospital and the quality of provided services, the way hospital staff treats patients plays a vital role in ensuring psychological security. In order to create and maintain a satisfactory relationship between patients and hospital staff, the latter should possess appropriate social skills. Such skills may be developed in the course of teaching; yet, there are other factors that have an influence on possessing them. It seems crucial to become familiar with these skills and to teach them properly in the courses for community nurses especially in the scope of providing patients with security.

Aim. The main aim of the article was to establish motivation to learn and the level of empathy and assertiveness of women attending courses for community nurses.

Materials and methods. The group of 94 women attending the course for community nurses constituted the research material. The course was organized by Lazarus – the Association of Humanitarian Aid between the years of 2007 and 2009 in Elblag. The diagnostic poll method was used. The tools included as follows: the questionnaire of emotional empathy devised on the basis of Interpersonal Reactivity Index by Davis adapted by M. Kaźmierczak, M. Plopa and S. Retowski, the Questionnaire of Assertive Behaviours formulated on the basis of the Assertiveness Map by M. Sobczak. The results were statistically analysed.

Results. There are some relations between the level of empathy and assertiveness.

Conclusions. Both empathy and assertiveness are complex phenomena and working on them requires analysing their components.