The effects of empathy level on the perception of relationship: a nurse and a patient from a different cultural area

Abstract

THE EFFECTS OF EMPATHY LEVEL ON THE PERCEPTION OF RELATIONSHIP: A NURSE AND A PATIENT FROM A DIFFERENT CULTURAL AREA

Introduction. The geopolitical situation, migration of people increasingly expose nurses to contacts with patients from different cultural, and religious spheres. This represents a challenge for the professional group, which due to its function stays the longest in contact with the patients of the discussed group.
Gaps in education on the basic knowledge of cultural and religious dissimilarities, being guided by stereotypes and focusing on the emotions associated with the exposure to the contact, impede the performance of professional care by the nurses.

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dependence between the level of empathy and the evaluation of relationship between a nurse and a patient from a different cultural area.
The study included 167 nurses working in two hospitals in Małopolska. The study used two research tools- a questionnaire of empathy scale by A. Mehrabian and N. Epstein, and a method of diagnostic survey.

Results and conclusions. The researched group experienced difficulties in entering into relations with the patients from different cultural / religious spheres, which was usually associated with a lack of knowledge (19.8%) and a barrier in communication (19.2%). Nearly half of the nurses declared positive emotions associated with a patient professing another religion. A direct contact with the patients who are of different religions / cultures, contributed to the increase of the anxiety level (19.8%), the appearance of hostility and withdrawal (13.8%) and rejection (9%). The level of empathy in the vast majority of researched subjects was at the average level (76.6%). Because of too little differentiation of the level of empathy, there was no correlation between the variable and the perception of people from different cultural / religious spheres.
Further complementing of knowledge on the care of patients professing different religions, and establishing procedures for dealing with patients coming from different cultural background would help in providing the professional nursing care.