Simulation to Enhance Empathy of Nursing Students Toward Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Study

BACKGROUND: Empathy can be challenging when caring for individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). PURPOSE: This study examined the effectiveness of simulation for enhancing the empathy of nursing students toward patients with AUD. METHODS: A mixed-methods study used a pretest-posttest intervention measurement of empathy with the Comprehensive State Empathy Scale (CSES) and focus groups. Quantitative data were analyzed with t tests, whereas thematic analysis evaluated the qualitative data. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between pre- and post-CSES scores. The subscales of empathic concern and shared affect were significant: empathic concern, t55 = - 2.16, P = .04, and shared affect, t55 = -2.16, P = .02. Empathic imagination reached significance for students with personal experience with someone with an AUD, t54 = -2.39, P = .02. CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is warranted regarding the effect of simulation on empathic concern, shared affect, and empathic imagination toward individuals with AUD.