More than a feeling: the role of empathetic care in promoting safety in health care.
This cross-sectional study found that aides working in skilled nursing facilities who expressed more empathy toward their clients had higher safety ratings on their annual performance reviews. Empathy was not associated with safer care when the aides' patient loads were too large, when they worked overtime, or when they experienced financial hardship. A WebM&M commentary explored quality and safety issues in skilled nursing facilities.