Effect of Empathy-Based Program on Nursing Assistants in Long-term Care Facilities

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Long-Term Care; Long-term Care Facility

• Registration Number: NCT07044492
• Lead Sponsor: Taipei Medical University

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to explore the impact of an Empathy-Based Program on the level of empathy among nursing assistants in a long-term care facility. A total of 100 participants will be divided into two groups: a virtual reality (VR) with debriefing group, and a control group (C) receiving routine care. The intervention involves a weekly 5-minute VR session featuring immersive experiences of residents' lives within the facility, followed by a 25-minute debriefing discussion in small groups of 5\~6 participants. This will continue for three weeks. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the empathy program in enhancing nursing assistants' empathy levels, with data collection occurring at three time points: baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up.

Detailed Description

This study aims to investigate whether an Empathy-Based Program can enhance the level of empathy among nursing assistants working in long-term care facilities. The trial will include 100 participants who will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a virtual reality (VR) with debriefing group, and a control group (C) receiving routine care. The intervention consists of a 30-minute session once a week for three weeks, comprising a 5-minute virtual scenario video followed by a 25-minute small-group debriefing session with 5 to 6 participants.

The primary objective of the study is to assess the impact of the Empathy-Based Program on participants' empathy levels, empathic behaviors, and attitudes toward older adults. Data will be collected at multiple time points throughout the intervention, and statistical analyses will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the empathy-based sessions.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-06
• Study First Submitted: 2025-06-23
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-06-23
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-06-23
• Study First Posted: 2025-07-01
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-01
• Study Start: 2025-09-01
• Primary Completion: 2026-12-31
• Study Completion: 2026-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 100

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Possess a valid nursing assistant license
  2. Aged 20 years or older
  3. Have worked at a long-term care institution for more than 3 months
  4. Able to read and understand written Chinese

Exclusion Criteria

• Employed as a part-time nursing assistant

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Empathy level	Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)	This study will use the 20-item version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions version (JSE-HP). The scale has 20 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum), with a total score between 20 and 140. Higher scores indicate greater empathy level among nursing assistants.
Attitudes toward older people	Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)	This study will use the Chinese version of the Kogan's Attitudes toward Older People (KAOP) Scale, translated and validated by Yeh et al. (2009), to assess participants' attitudes toward older adults. The KAOP consists of 34 items, including 17 positively worded and 17 negatively worded statements. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Negatively worded items are reverse-coded before computing the total score. The possible total score ranges from 34 to 238, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes toward older people.
Empathic Behavior	Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)	This study will use a 12-item Empathic Behavior Scale developed by the researchers based on a review of relevant literature. The scale is designed to assess the frequency of empathic behaviors performed by nursing assistants in various caregiving scenarios. Each item presents a specific situation, and participants are asked to indicate how frequently they perform the described empathic behavior using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (never able to perform) to 7 (always able to perform). Total scores range from 12 to 84, with higher scores indicating more frequent engagement in empathic behaviors.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Taipei Medical University; 🇨🇳 Taipei, None Selected, Taiwan