More Than a Feeling: The Role of Empathetic Care in Promoting Safety in Health Care
本文通过定性和定量方法，研究共情关怀与患者安全的关系，发现共情关怀能预测安全，但患者负荷、加班和经济困难会削弱这种正向关系，对护理工作设计有启示。
In this article, the authors use inductive and deductive methods to explore the role of empathy in care-giving jobs: specifically, the relationship between empathetic care and patient safety. The authors argue that empathetic care is evidenced by extra-role behavior, emotional engagement, and relational richness between paid caregivers and clients. They develop a model using qualitative interviews with paid caregivers and test it using quantitative case studies in six skilled-nursing facilities. Findings show that empathetic care predicts patient safety, but only under some circumstances. Specifically, patient load, overtime work, and financial hardship dampen the otherwise positive relationship between empathetic care and safety. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for the design of care jobs.