Empatia – video reflection method for reflecting on empathic interactions between care worker and client

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the Empatia video reflection method, designed to enhance care workers’ awareness of empathic care. The method makes the quality of care visible, which is needed when digitalization efforts in elder care focus on the efficiency and adequacy of care work. Design/methodology/approach The Empatia method leans on previous studies of the interaction between care professionals and clients and elaborates further previous video reflection methods. In empathic care work, the care worker sees the client on their life continuum, rather than focusing on only medical treatments. Findings The empirical example demonstrates how a care worker gained awareness of their empathic interaction habits. Within the work community, the reflection process sparked discussions on values: the purpose of care work and how to conduct empathic care. Focusing on empathic relationships in care fosters both the client’s and the care worker’s well-being. Practical implications The strength of the Empatia method is that it makes empathy visible in interaction and something that is individually and collectively learnable. The Empatia includes an analytical tool for researchers to reveal empathy in client interaction. It can be developed further into a reflection tool for service work to learn how to be empathic in service encounters. Originality/value Compared to other video-stimulated recall methods, the Empatia involves contextual understanding of care work. Empowering positive interactions instead of detecting errors and solving problems is a novel concept and is scantily used in studies of organizational learning. The Empatia provides a detailed method description that allows for the replication of the method by anyone.

Breaking frames to create empathy: interaction between care practitioners and clients in homecare visits

“…The entire visit was video recorded, and a field report was written on each work shift. A month after the observations, selected video clips containing a moment of empathy from each client visit were watched with the care practitioner following the Empatia video reflection method (Levonius and Saari, 2023). The video-recorded data and field reports functioned as primary data, while the video reflection data provided background data to deepen understanding of the interactions.…”

Teknologian vai ihmisen ehdoilla? Toiminnanohjausjärjestelmän käytön ja hyvän hoivan yhteensovittamisen keinot kotikäyntejä tekevien hoitajien arjessa

“…Teknologioiden hoitamiseen tarvittavaa aikaa ei ole toiminnanohjausjärjestelmässä huomioitu. Hoitajille hyvä hoiva tarkoittaa kuitenkin kokonaisvaltaista työotetta, jossa asiakkaan kaikkiin tarpeisiin vastataan huolehtien samalla, että asiakkaan yhteydet muihin ihmisiin tukevat kotona pärjäämistä ja hyvää elämää (Levonius & Saari 2023).…”