Effects of a brief aging simulation suit intervention on clinical empathy in healthcare professionals working in long-term care: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Clinical empathy refers to a healthcare professional's ability to understand a patient's experiences and emotions through cognitive and affective perspective taking, and to communicate that understanding through compassionate and appropriate professional behaviors. Aging simulation suits are experiential educational tools designed to replicate the sensory and physical limitations associated with aging. However, evidence regarding their effectiveness in enhancing clinical empathy among active healthcare professionals remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an aging simulation suit on clinical empathy among healthcare professionals working in long-term care settings. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 82 healthcare professionals from four nursing homes in Madrid and Asturias (Spain). Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) (n=41) or a control group (CG) (n=41). Both groups received the same structured educational session on empathy and aging. The experimental group additionally participated in an immersive experience using the GERT aging simulation suit, whereas the control group did not receive the simulation component. Self-reported empathy were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions version (JSPE-HPS). RESULTS: No significant differences were found between groups in IRI scores. However, the experimental group showed significant improvements in total JSPE-HPS scores and in the subscales Perspective Taking and Compassionate Care (p < 0.05), compared with the control group. These findings suggest that the immersive intervention enhanced both cognitive and affective components of clinical empathy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an aging simulation suit was associated with improvements in specific dimensions of clinical empathy among healthcare professionals working in long-term care. This educational tool offers a valuable experiential approach that enhances understanding and compassion toward older adults. However, these findings are limited to short-term, self-reported measures, and no behavioral or patient outcome data were collected. Further longitudinal studies are needed to determine the long-term sustainability of these effects and their translation into clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, Unique Protocol ID: 2711201916919; ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07280689. Date of registration: 10/10/2025. Retrospectively registered.