thic listening thus can help the nurse distinguish between medical problems that are the result of psychological distress and those due to organ malfunction or other physiological problems.
Kirk (2007, p. 233) points out that "Understanding, shared meaning, and mutual trust lie at the heart of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship," and this observation makes empathy more meaningful in the context of nursing practice. If the nurse listens with empathy to the patient, then understanding results, shared meaning is created, and mutual trust is forged. These factors all improve not only the patient's experience of being nursed but also the nurse's ability to address the patient's real problems. The patient will confide more in a nurse who demonstrates empathy and concern because he will become more trusting. Moreover, as the nurse listens empathically, she will learn more about the patient and thus can begin to recognize what he means by what he says. The end result is that her empathic approach to communicating with the patient is a more effective method of gathering data about the patient and his condition than asking him for information without conveying empathy.
The rationale for incorporating empathy in nursing practice is several-fold. First, since the patient may be experiencing a variety of physical and psychological issues-not just medical ones-listening with empathy helps the nurse to discern what the patient is really suffering and what will relieve that suffering. As Kohut (as cited in Coburn & Shane, 2008, p. 153) suggested, listening with empathy is the only way to ensure that the nurse obtains the complete picture, the holistic view-not just a list of symptoms, which may not lead her to choose the appropriate therapy. Second, listening with empathy is in itself a therapeutic action toward the patient. The patient will sense that the nurse is listening empathically by her responses, and this...