Evaluation of Empathy in Nursing Students

Abstract

Objective: to compare empathy levels among nursing students at different course stages considering gender and age. Method: this study was conducted at the Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein, employing a quantitative, descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional approach. The sample included 169 four-year Nursing undergraduate students. A sociodemographic questionnaire was used to collect information from August 2020 to April 2022 and the Multidimensional Interpersonal Reactivity Scale was used to measure empathy. The relationships between empathy and independent variables were analyzed using linear models and presented with estimated means, confidence intervals and p-values, with a significance level of 5%. Results: the comparison of empathy levels in different course periods did not reveal significant relationships with the course year. However, the lowest score on the three subscales occurred in the fourth year. When analyzing the relationship between course years and gender, no subscale showed significant differences. A significant difference in the Empathic Consideration subscale emerged in the second year when separating by course year, with higher scores for females. Conclusion: the study highlights the continued importance of teaching empathy in nursing training. Therefore, the use of the Multidimensional Interpersonal Reactivity Scale proves to be valuable for evaluating interventions and offering support for adjustments in educational strategies. Commitment to improving empathy throughout professional training and practice is essential to ensure truly patient-centered healthcare.