Mobilization of Emotions and Empathy During Communication Training in Nursing Students

NCT07340086 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: AEI-Sim-2025-01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 9
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Effective communication in healthcare is vital for patient satisfaction, safety, outcomes, and ethical practice, supporting shared decision-making and informed consent. Simulation-based training is widely used to strengthen communication skills and foster empathy through emotionally engaging experiences. This is a pilot study aimed (1) to assess changes in emotional state and empathy in nursing students after a simulation-based workshop (SBW) on delivering bad news, and (2) to evaluate the sensitivity of standardized scales in detecting these changes.

Conditions

Education Nursing; Communication Skills; Ethics Education; Empathy; Simulation Based Learning

Keywords

Nursing; Education; Communication skills; Simulation; Ethics; Empathy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Changes of emotions after the simulation-based workshop on communication of bad news

  Questionnaires from the PANAS were completed by the participants.

  The PANAS score was completed after sessions 1 (baseline, day 0), 2 (simulation, 1 week after day 0), and 3 (debriefing, 2 weeks after day 0). Baseline day: August 1, 2025. Session 2: August 8, 2025. Session 3: August 15, 2025.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Changes of empathy during a simulation-based workshop on communication of bad news measured by Jefferson Scale of Empathy.

  Students completed the JSE questionnaire after sessions two and three of the three-stage, simulation-based workshop on communicating bad news. Session two took place on August 8, 2025, and session three took place on August 15, 2025.

• Changes of perceived empathy after participating in a simulation-based workshop on communication of bad news measured by Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy

  Complete the JSPPPE after sessions two and three, or the simulation and debriefing days (August 8 and 15, 2025), of the three-stage, simulation-based workshop on communicating bad news.

Other Outcomes (1)

• Changes in self-perceived emotions while executing the simulation-based workshop on communication of bad news

  Records were taken after Session 2 (Simulation Day, August 8, 2025) and Session 3 (Debriefing Day, August 15, 2025).

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Fourth-year nursing students who conducted a simulation-based workshop as part of their communication training curriculum.

You may qualify if:

• Nursing students of the 4th year

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Padova: lead
• Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Location

Study Officials

• Matteo Martinato, PhD

  University of Padova

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 16, 2025
• First Posted: January 14, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 15, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

AR (1)