title: Empathy in Brazilian nursing professionals: a descriptive study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Essential for the help relation, empathy is the ability to understand, share, and perceive the subjective experience of other human beings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective in this non-experimental, exploratory, and descriptive research was to verify, observe, and document empathy in nursing professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-experimental, exploratory, and descriptive research. Participants and research context: the study was conducted at two large hospitals, one public and the other private, across all shifts. The sample included 159 individuals. A questionnaire was used to identify sociodemographic characteristics and the empathy inventory was applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study received approval from the Research Ethics Committee at the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, opinion 1348/2011, and authorization from the health institutions involved.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The association tests demonstrated that professionals working in the night shift and in a work scale rotation scheme, older professionals, and professionals with longer professional experience are less empathetic. On the other hand, professionals working in the day shift and in a single shift are more empathetic. Other influential factors are the time on the job, education, and work shift.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a lack of empathy studies in professional practice contexts, in human resource development programs, and throughout the professional education process.
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil trevizan@eerp.usp.br.
authors.forename: Maria Auxiliadora
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Trevizan
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Guimarães dos Santos
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mirella Castelhano
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazzo
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabel Amélia Costa
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jose Carlos Amado
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000941:ethics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Education; empathy; human resources; nursing; social skills