Effect of Empathy-Based Program on Nursing Assistants in Long-term Care Facilities

Taipei Medical University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Long-term Care Facility; Long-Term Care

Treatments: Behavioral: Virtual Reality (VR) with Debriefing

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07044492

N202203004

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized controlled trial aims to explore the impact of an Empathy-Based Program on the level of empathy among nursing assistants in a long-term care facility. A total of 100 participants will be divided into two groups: a virtual reality (VR) with debriefing group, and a control group (C) receiving routine care. The intervention involves a weekly 5-minute VR session featuring immersive experiences of residents' lives within the facility, followed by a 25-minute debriefing discussion in small groups of 5~6 participants. This will continue for three weeks. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the empathy program in enhancing nursing assistants' empathy levels, with data collection occurring at three time points: baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up.

Full description

This study aims to investigate whether an Empathy-Based Program can enhance the level of empathy among nursing assistants working in long-term care facilities. The trial will include 100 participants who will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a virtual reality (VR) with debriefing group, and a control group (C) receiving routine care. The intervention consists of a 30-minute session once a week for three weeks, comprising a 5-minute virtual scenario video followed by a 25-minute small-group debriefing session with 5 to 6 participants.

The primary objective of the study is to assess the impact of the Empathy-Based Program on participants' empathy levels, empathic behaviors, and attitudes toward older adults. Data will be collected at multiple time points throughout the intervention, and statistical analyses will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the empathy-based sessions.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Possess a valid nursing assistant license

  2. Aged 20 years or older

  3. Have worked at a long-term care institution for more than 3 months

  4. Able to read and understand written Chinese

     Exclusion Criteria:

• Employed as a part-time nursing assistant

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

virtual reality (VR) with debriefing Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will engage with immersive virtual reality (VR) with debriefing.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Virtual Reality (VR) with Debriefing

Control Group (C)

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group will continue their usual care routine without additional exposure to virtual.