An interventional study of Reflective practices in Empathy, Compassion and Nursing Student, sponsored by Akdeniz University. Completed at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-14.
Sponsored by Akdeniz University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of reflective practices on nursing students' empathy and compassion levels.
Hypothesis H1-1: Reflective practices affect nursing students' empathy level. H1-2: Reflective practices affect nursing students' compassion level.
Akdeniz University is the lead sponsor of 289 studies on the registry; 60 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
The intervention was implemented as part of a nursing course consisting of 4 hours of theoretical instruction, 4 hours of laboratory practice, and 8 hours of clinical practice. For 14 weeks, reflective practice was integrated into both the laboratory and clinical components. In the laboratory sessions, clinical scenarios were developed based on five common topics (e.g., infection control, vital signs) that students are likely to encounter during clinical practice. Students performed these scenarios by taking on different roles. Following each role-play, structured reflection sessions were conducted with the students. In the clinical setting, the final hour of each practice day was allocated for reflection. After completing an online reflection form, students had the opportunity to engage in group discussions if they wished to reflect further.
Behavioral: Reflective practices
Students followed the same laboratory and clinical curriculum but did not participate in any structured reflective practices. They received standard instruction in psychomotor skills and routine clinical procedures without the inclusion of role-play, scenario-based learning, or debriefing sessions.
The intervention was implemented as part of a nursing course consisting of 4 hours of theoretical instruction, 4 hours of laboratory practice, and 8 hours of clinical practice. For 14 weeks, reflective practice was integrated into both the laboratory and clinical components. In the laboratory sessions, clinical scenarios were developed based on five common topics (e.g., infection control, vital signs) that students are likely to encounter during clinical practice. Students performed these scenarios by taking on different roles. Following each role-play, structured reflection sessions were conducted with the students. In the clinical setting, the final hour of each practice day was allocated for reflection. After completing an online reflection form, students had the opportunity to engage in group discussions if they wished to reflect further.
Empathy
The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Nursing Students was designed to measure empathy levels in nursing students. The Turkish adaptation consists of 18 items across the same three sub-dimensions. The scale is based on a 7-point Likert-type format (1 = Strongly disagree to 7 = Strongly agree), yielding a total score ranging from 18 to 126. Higher total scores reflect greater levels of empathy.
Time frame: Data were collected at two different time points: At recruitment (T0) and in the 14th week (T1)
Compassion
The Compassion Scale comprises 24 items and six subscales: kindness, indifference, common humanity, separation, mindfulness, and disengagement. The subscales of indifference, disengagement, and separation are reverse-scored prior to calculating the overall compassion score. Total scores range from 24 to 120, with higher scores indicating higher levels of compassion.
Time frame: Data were collected at two different time points: At recruitment (T0) and in the 14th week (T1)
Plan to share: Yes
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Akdeniz University