Effectiveness of Narrative Medicine Workshops in Enhancing Empathy and Reflective Practice Among Nursing Interns

Abstract

Background: Empathy and reflective practice are critical components of effective and compassionate nursing care. However, these non-technical skills are often underdeveloped during traditional clinical training. Narrative medicine, an approach involving storytelling, reflective writing, and reading, offers a promising method to enhance these competencies among nursing students.
Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of narrative medicine workshops in improving empathy and reflective practice among nursing interns.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was conducted among 60 nursing interns with no prior training in reflective practice. The intervention included structured narrative medicine workshops over two weeks, incorporating activities such as storytelling, reflective writing, and group discussions. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy–Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS), while reflective practice was assessed using the Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ). Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests to evaluate pre- and post-intervention differences.
Results: Post-intervention scores showed a statistically significant improvement in all domains. The total empathy score increased from 44.3 ± 5.4 to 58.3 ± 4.7 (p < 0.001), and the total reflective practice score rose from 42.2 ± 4.9 to 63.2 ± 4.5 (p < 0.001). Over 90% of participants reported that the workshop improved their empathy and self-reflection. Most recommend its inclusion in future curricula.
Conclusion: Narrative medicine workshops are an effective educational tool for enhancing empathy and reflective capacity among nursing interns. These findings support the integration of narrative-based methods into nursing education to foster more compassionate and self-aware healthcare professionals.