J Emerg Nurs. 2025 Dec 9:S0099-1767(25)00468-4. Revista: 10.1016/j.jen.2025.11.013. Online ahead of print.

INTRODUCTION: Patients in emergency departments require both effective medical treatment and emotional support. Presently, the humanistic care, empathic abilities, and influencing factors related to nursing students working in emergency departments are not well understood. This study aimed to explore the current state and influencing factors of humanistic care and empathy skills among Chinese nursing students working in emergency departments.

METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study involving nursing students was conducted. Data were collected on general information, the humanistic caring ability scale for nursing students, and the Jefferson scale of physician empathy for nursing students.

RESULTS: From August 2023 to August 2024, a survey of 400 nursing students was conducted across 9 top-tier Chinese hospitals’ emergency departments in China. The average humanistic care ability score was 77.16 ± 11.02, whereas empathy scored 100.64 ± 15.45. Regression analysis indicated several factors influencing humanistic care ability: reasons for choosing the nursing profession, the humanistic education at school, the humanistic care atmosphere in the emergency department, and noninstructing teachers’ care during the emergency department internship. In addition, sex was associated with the empathy score.

DISCUSSION: The humanistic care and empathy abilities of Chinese nursing students in emergency departments are at a moderate level (a score between 60 and 80). Factors such as the reasons for choosing the nursing profession, the schools’ humanistic education, the humanistic care atmosphere in the emergency department, and noninstructing teachers’ care during the emergeny department internship influence the nursing students’ humanistic care ability. Sex plays a role as an influencing factor in their empathy.

PubMed:41369609 | Revista:10.1016/j.jen.2025.11.013