The impact of knowledge brokering on nurses' empathy with patients receiving cardiac care: an experimental study.

Abstract

Background: Patients with cardiovascular diseases often experience fear of death, depression and anxiety, all of which are linked to a heightened risk of future cardiac events. Research indicates that improved empathy is associated with a reduced risk of such events, making the enhancement of empathy among cardiac nurses crucial. Knowledge brokering, a strategy that utilises various interventions to strengthen practice, is key to achieving this.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge brokering on nurses' empathy towards patients receiving cardiac care.

Methods: This experimental study involved 100 cardiac nurses who were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The intervention group received knowledge brokering using Dobbin's seven-stage method. Empathy levels were measured using the Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS), with scores ranging from +252 to -252, and analysed using SPSS version 21.

Results: Findings showed a significant mean empathy change score (MECS) of 22.90 ± 50.93 in the intervention group (p=0.003) compared to 7.10 ± 60.20 in the control group (p=0.408). Notably, nurses with a baseline empathy score of ≥100 in the intervention group exhibited a significantly higher adjusted MECS than the control group (11.44 units versus -15.42 units).

Conclusion: Knowledge brokering can enhance empathy in moderately empathic cardiac nurses, with its effectiveness influenced by the nurses' initial empathy levels. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the knowledge brokering strategy in healthcare settings.