Care ethics: An ethics of empathy?

Abstract

Based on our findings, we formulate pathways that may guide the further analysis of empathy in care practices and care ethics.

Does narrative medicine education improve nursing students’ empathic abilities and academic achievement? A randomised controlled trial

“… 3 People who have high empathy levels can imagine themselves in the position of others and understand their perspectives after listening to their narratives. 4 In the clinical context of communicating with patients, empathy includes emotional (an internal capability to imagine the patient’s emotions, feelings and perspectives), moral (a desire to empathise), cognitive (an ability to correctly identify and understand feelings) and behavioural (an ability to express an understanding of those feelings to the patient) dimensions. 5 Published reports show that empathy between medical staff and patients in clinical activities can help to improve physician occupational well-being and patient satisfaction, compliance and therapeutic outcomes.…”

Empathy in the nurse–patient relationship in geriatric care: An integrative review

“…9 In the same manner as human care, empathy is a profoundly relational experience. 10 Empathetic interventions and non-pharmacological treatment strategies can improve the quality of life of older people. 11,12 Thus, there is a need for more in-depth studies on empathy in the context of interpersonal relationships between nurses and older people.…”

Attuning to the needs of structural socially isolated older adults with complex problems: the experiences of social workers with personal guidance trajectories for a less‐researched group

“…They can only help them if they not only understand the perspective and logic of their clients, through imagination, but also feel the needs of the client. This requires the expertise to empathise with the other that is to recognise the client's emotions (sadness, desperation, disappointment) and to feel in a potential way or modus what the client is actually experiencing (Van Dijke et al, 2018, 2020.…”