title: Reviewing Tribunal cases and nurse behaviour: putting empathy back into nurse education with Bloom's taxonomy.
abstract: Recent events in the UK and Australia have shown how poor patient outcomes are achieved when the behaviour of nurses lacks empathy. The UK's Francis Inquiry and the Keogh Report both call for an increase in the 'caring and compassion' of health care workers. A review of cases presented to the nurses' disciplinary tribunal in New South Wales' (Australia) also suggests that the majority of complaints against nurses in this jurisdiction is the result of callousness or lack of empathy. Such events reinforce the need for nurse educators to support nursing students to develop the affective attributes of caring and empathy. This paper considers how to raise the awareness of undergraduate students as a first step to developing empathy by using Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; and includes a description of how to facilitate interactions with undergraduate nursing students about caring with empathy. Enculturating empathy is an evidence-based method of increasing compassionate care in health organisations generally.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: doyle@canberra.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kerrie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hungerford
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cruickshank
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D004645:Empathy; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008318:Malpractice; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009736:Nursing Process / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Bloom's taxonomy; Empathy; Nurse complaints; Nurse education; Nurse tribunal; Poor patient outcomes