Question

I am a nurse and I need to understand about empathy and why empathy is important between nurse and patient.

Answer

Empathy is the power of understanding, and 'imaginatively' entering into another person's feelings. Another explanation is "to put oneself into another's shoes". Sympathy is very different to empathy as sympathy means to share another's emotions such as sorrow or anguish, becoming emotionally involved, which distorts clear and measured thinking. This is not appropriate, and in fact can be dangerous, for a nurse to become emotionally involved with patients or their relatives.. Empathy does not mean having emotional or personal involvement with a patient, but means to be kind, understanding and a good listener ( this is being empathetic), following doctor's instructions and providing good nursing care.
 

As a nurse it is important also to have intuition, initiative, good organizational and time management skills, to name but a few. It is always important to communicate effectively and efficiently with patients and members of the healthcare team, thus providing. education and emotional support for patients and their families to reduce their anxieties and to build a trusting and empathetic nurse-patient relationship.
 

Firstly though, it is important that nurses themselves possess a level of emotional health that allows full utilization of intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, prompt completion of all responsibilities, attention to the nursing diagnosis and care of patients, and the ability to function effectively under stress. Clear and appropriate communication and professional behavior is necessary and expected. Delivering quality patient care is of course always a work in progress. If ritual or intuition is relied upon without being incorporated with the most current knowledge, the best patient outcomes cannot be ensured.
 

Patients require an empathetic nurse who is competent when dealing with their specific problems, who sees patients as people and are committed to building a strong therapeutic relationship with them and their families.
 

We hope this is helpful to you in understanding the total meaning of empathy, and you are wished success in your chosen field, nursing people back to health as well as teaching risk factors and healthy lifestyles to keep them well.
 

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Empathy