Barriers to empathy in nurses working in the intensive care unit: a content analysis study
Empathy is one of the most effective indicators of nursing performance, therefore understanding the concept of empathy in the ICU seems necessary to provide better care in this challenging environment. However, empathy faces barriers in this area. This study was conducted using the content analysis approach with the aim of explaining the factors that inhibit empathy in intensive care nurses.
In this qualitative study, 12 semi-structured interviews with an average duration of 30-45 minutes were conducted with ICU nurses selected by purposive sampling during the period 2021-2022. The interviewees' statements were analysed after being recorded and converted into text using MAXQDATA 11 software and conventional content analysis methods.
The coding process was carried out after removing duplicate codes and merging similar codes as a continuous comparative analysis. Eleven subcategories and three main themes were identified, including "organisational barriers", "individual barriers" and "barriers related to environmental and cultural factors". ". Finally, the general theme (the main theme) was obtained under the title 'Barriers to empathy in nurses'.
The results of this study showed that intensive care nurses face significant barriers to empathy. Given that knowledge of the barriers to empathy and their removal will contribute greatly to improving patient care, it is necessary to identify and remove the existing barriers known to managers and policy makers.