A client is talking to a nurse about the recent death of her grandmother. She is sad, and tears roll down her cheeks as she talks. The nurse remembers how she felt when her own grandmother died the previous summer

Question

The nurse puts her hand on the client's shoulder and says, "This must be very difficult for you." The nurse is demonstrating empathy based on which of the following?

A) The nurse's response reflects an attempt to communicate understanding of the client's feelings.
B) The nurse's response and use of reassuring touch reinforce the nurse's concern for the client.
C) The nurse demonstrates understanding of how the client feels because of her own grandmother's death.
D) The nurse's statement expresses compassion and kindness toward the client.

Answer 1

Ans: A
Empathy involves the nurse receiving information from the client with open, nonjudgmental acceptance. The nurse should communicate this understanding of the experience and feelings so the client feels understood. It is not necessary for the nurse to have had the same experience, but the nurse needs to imagine how having the experience feels to the client. Sympathy is the expression of compassion and kindness.