The outcomes of humanistic nursing for critical care nurses: A qualitative study

Examining nurses' humanistic behaviour ability and empathy levels in clinical practice: A descriptive and exploratory study

BACKGROUND

It is critical for nurses to provide healthcare services to healthy/sick individuals with a humanistic approach and with empathy.

AIMS

This research aimed to determine nurses' humanistic behaviour ability, empathy levels and related factors in clinical practice.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional and exploratory study.

METHODS

Probability sampling method was used, and 337 nurses working in two public hospitals were included in the study. Data was collected using the Humanistic Practice Ability of Nursing Scale and the Empathy Level Determination Scale. Structural equation model analysis and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the hypothesised model. This study adhered to the STROBE checklist for reporting.

RESULTS

Nurses' humanistic ability and empathy level in nursing practices were found to be above average. Both the ability to act humanely in nursing practices and their empathy levels were found to be significantly higher in nurses who were married and had children. A significant relationship was found between empathy levels and humanistic behaviours. Accordingly, nurses' empathy levels positively affected their humanistic care behaviours, and the model established between the two concepts was found to be statistically appropriate.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' empathy levels positively affect their ability to act humanistically. The result of the model established between the two concepts also supports this. Care strategies should be developed that consider factors that will improve empathetic and humanistic behaviours in nurses and maximise individualised care practices.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

Increasing the awareness of nurses about the factors affecting humanistic behaviours and empathic attitudes while caring for individuals in clinical practice, will contribute to improving the quality of nursing care.

The relationship between organizational dehumanization and work engagement: the mediating effect of nurses' work stress

BACKGROUND

Organizational dehumanization has detrimental consequences for nurses' wellbeing and leads to a stressful work environment. Moreover, it is very destructive to work engagement.

AIM

To examine the mediating role of nurses' work stress between organizational dehumanization and work engagement.

METHOD

A cross-sectional research design was conducted with 245 staff nurses over a one-month period. The researchers used structured equation modeling.

RESULTS

Work engagement and organizational dehumanization levels were both moderate. In addition, the degree of job stress among the nurses was moderate, too. The results of the structural equation modeling showed that the association between organizational dehumanization and job engagement is partially mediated by work stress.

CONCLUSIONS

For staff nurses to exhibit high levels of caring behaviors, this study emphasized the need to establish a work environment that employs tactics to improve workplace engagement and happiness. In addition to changing the organizational culture of nurses to eradicate organizational dehumanization and pressures related to the job.

The influential factors in humanistic critical care nursing

BACKGROUND

One of the main concerns in critical care units is the development of humanistic approaches. In this regard, recognizing the factors affecting humanistic nursing can contribute to humanizing nursing care in these units.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to recognize the influential factors of humanistic nursing in critical care units.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This qualitative study was carried out using a phenomenology method. Thirty-nine in-depth unstructured interviews were performed. The data were analyzed using the phenomenological nursology approach. To guarantee trustworthiness, prolonged engagement, member check, triangulation of resources, and maximum variation sampling were used.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

Purposeful sampling was employed to select 10 nurses, 8 patients, and 4 patient's relatives from the intensive care unit and critical care unit departments.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

This study was approved by the ethics committee of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences with the code of LUMS.REC.1395.121.

FINDING

The participants' experiences were reflected in the following three main concepts: (a) moral, educational, and existential nature of the two humans involved in the interaction; (b) maintenance of the nurses' dignity; and (c) interactions in the cultural and social context.

DISCUSSION

The nurse and patient, organizational environment, and society give rise to a set of intertwined characteristics which influence the realization of humanistic nursing. By affecting the nurses' educational background and maintaining their dignity, the atmosphere of the hospital and cultural readiness of the society pave the way for delivering the humanistic care.