Research Article

Psychometric Analysis of the JSPE Nursing Student Version R: Comparison of Senior BSN Students and Medical Students Attitudes toward Empathy in Patient Care

Table 4

Standardized factor loadings for attitudes toward empathy in patient care.

ItemHojat [1]aCurrent studyb
F1F2F3F1F2F3

2 Patients feel better when their nurses understand their feelings.458.512

4 Understanding body language is as important as verbal communication in nurse-patient relationships.480.424

5 A nurses’s sense of humor contributes to a better clinical outcome.443

9 Nurses should try to stand in their patients’ shoes when providing care to them.515.698

10 Patients value a nurse’s understanding of their feelings which is therapeutic in its own right.615.630

13 Nurses should try to understand what is going on in their patients’ minds by paying attention to their nonverbal cues and body language.510.509

15 Empathy is a therapeutic skill without which the nurse’s success is limited.421.427

16. Nurses’ understanding of the emotional status of their patients, as well as that of their families is one important component of the nurse-patient relationship.641.547

17 Nurses should try to think like their patients in order to render better care.611

20 I believe that empathy is an important therapeutic factor in medical treatment.534.403

19x I do not enjoy reading nonmedical literature or the arts (reversed)

18x Nurses should not allow themselves to be influenced by strong personal bonds between their patients and their family members (reversed).542

14x I believe that emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness (reversed).607.650

12x Asking patients about what is happening in their personal lives is not helpful in understanding their physical complaints (reversed).500.590

11x Patients’ illnesses can be cured only by medical or surgical treatment; therefore, nurses’ emotional ties with their patients do not have a significant influence in medical or surgical treatment (reversed).596.641

8x Attentiveness to patients’ personal experiences does not influence treatment outcomes (reversed).604.608

7x Attention to patients’ emotions is not important in history taking (reversed).526.665

1x Nurses’ understanding of their patients’ feelings and the feelings of their patients’ families does not influence medical or surgical treatment.446.444

6x Because people are different, it is difficult to see things from patients’ perspectives (reversed).711.759

3x It is difficult for a nurse to view things from patients’ perspectives (reversed).709.722

Eigenvalue4.21.51.33.402.631.69

% of variance21%8%7%17.0%13.1%8.4%

*Printed with express permission from Dr. M. Hojat.
a: F1 = Perspective Taking, F2 = Compassionate Care, F3 = Standing in the Patient’s Shoes.
b: F1 = Emotional Engagement/Compassionate Care, F2 = Perspective Taking, F3 = Standing in the Patient’s Shoes.