Factors Influencing Empathy Among Nursing Students : A narrative review

Background and purpose : Empathy is essential in nursing practice and has a significant impact on patient care and outcomes. However, nursing students often struggle to develop empathic skills due to various factors. This review aims to identify and analyze the key factors that influence empathy in nursing students and provide insights for educators and policy makers to improve empathy in nursing education .Materials and method: This narrative review follows PRISMA guidelines and uses keywords such as empathy, nursing students, and nursing education. The search was conducted in several databases, including PubMed and Scopus, with a focus on full articles in Persian and English on the topic of empathy in nursing students .Results: Seventeen articles met the inclusion criteria after duplicates were removed, seven of which were published in English. Key factors influencing empathy were classified into personal (e.g., age, gender), psychological, and educational factors. While clinical exposure can improve empathic skills, it can also cause emotional exhaustion and negatively impact students' empathic responses .Conclusion: Understanding the various factors that influence empathy is critical to developing effective educational strategies. By considering these determinants, nursing programs can better prepare future nurses to provide compassionate care and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Factors Influencing Empathy Among Nursing Students : A narrative review Keywords:

Empathy , Nursing Students , Factors Influencing Empathy , Nursing Education