Investigating the relationship between family needs and nurses' empathy in inpatient emergency departments: A Cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The mission of the emergency department involves addressing the needs of patients and their families. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the needs of patients' families and their relationship with the empathy of nurses working in inpatient emergency departments of hospitals affiliated with the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to September 2022, utilizing convenience sampling, with 427 hospitalized patients from the emergency departments of Kowsar, Towhid, and Besat hospitals. Data was collected by administering two questionnaires: the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI-ED) and the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI). To explore the relationships between variables, statistical tests, including Fisher's exact test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and chi-square test, were employed based on the nature of the dependent variable. Data analysis was performed using STATA software. RESULTS: The results of this study revealed high patient family needs (average score: 114.42) and moderate nurse empathy levels (mean ± SD = 4.73 ± 0.54). Significant associations were observed between the needs of patients’ families and certain demographic variables (e.g., age, gender) (P > 0.05). Additionally, empathy levels correlated significantly with the gender, care duration, and history of the patients’ family (P > 0.05). However, no significant relationship was found between empathy levels and family needs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed high levels of needs of patients' families and a moderate level of empathy among nurses. Therefore, to enhance the quality of care in the emergency department, nurses should address the needs of patients' families and improve their empathy levels with them in inpatient emergency settings.