Empathy and Self-Efficacy in Elderly Nursing Practice among Korean Nurses

The Korean government is activating an integrated nurse care service, in which all inpatient care services are provided by a proper nursing team without a caregiver or a guardian staying at the hospital. This study was to examine the influence of empathy and self-efficacy on the elderly nursing practice of nurses at integrated nurse care service wards in South Korea. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. Participants included 238 nurses who were working at integrated nurse care service wards in hospitals in Seoul, South Korea. Measures were a general characteristics form, the Empathy Construct Rating Scale, the Korean Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Korean Elderly Nursing Practice Scale. Data were collected from February to May 2017. The findings show a slightly higher level of empathy; an almost intermediate level of self-efficacy; and a high level of elderly nursing practice in Korean nurses at integrated nurse care service wards. The only factor found to impact significantly on elderly nursing practice was empathy. The findings suggest that nurses need to enhance empathy toward the elderly to improve elderly nursing practice. It is necessary to provide strategies or interventions in the nursing management for improvement of the empathy of nurses at integrated nurse care service wards in South Korea.