Advice and development
Beyond empathy: when students 'develop' their patients' illness
Students who believe they have the same disease as their patients need support and mentoring to prevent this false perception from damaging their quality of life.
Students who believe they have the same disease as their patients need support and mentoring to prevent this false perception from damaging their quality of life
Nursing students are actively encouraged to place compassion at the centre of practice, with empathy often considered a crucial component of quality care. But can this be taken too far?
To explore the impact that identifying with patients’ symptoms can have on nursing students’ quality of life , researcher Agni Nakou surveyed 200 students at the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Epirus in Greece, as part of her master’s degree.
Ms Nakou, a nurse for 20 years, found that
...Want to read more?
Unlock full access to RCNi Plus today
Save over 50% on your first three months:
- Customisable clinical dashboard featuring 200+ topics
- Unlimited online access to all 10 RCNi Journals including Nursing Standard
- RCNi Learning featuring 180+ RCN accredited learning modules
- NMC-compliant RCNi Portfolio to build evidence for revalidation
- Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
Already registered or subscribed? Log in
This article is not available as part of an institutional subscription. Why is this?
