Empathy in nurses: Spanish adaptation of the Jefferson scale of empathy (JSE) on nurses

Abstract

Background : Empathy is a key skill for nurses, it is important for providing high-quality care. Aims: The goals of our study are to adapt and explore the psychometric properties of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) for nursing students in a sample of Spanish nurses, to analyse the empathy levels and to provide some percentiles for interpreting empathy levels in Spanish nurses. Methods: To adapt and psychometric test of the JSE in a convenience sample of 500 Spanish nurses. The original questionnaire was translated into Spanish and then back-translated into English by two Spanish and English native speakers, respectively. Factor structure was evaluated with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA), and reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). Results: The definitive model composed of 15 items grouped into three factors presented good psychometric properties. Levels of empathy in the sample of Spanish nurses can be considered high. Conclusion: The study provides a reliable and valid instrument to measure levels of empathy in nurses in the Spanish context. Impact Statement: JSE instrument adapted to Spanish nurses is a suitable instrument for measuring nurses’ empathy levels, assessing educational needs, and evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes.