Zhou H. (2025).
BMC nursing, 24(1), 38.
Abstract
Background
Burnout is prevalent in healthcare professionals, especially among nurses. This review aims to examine the correlation between empathy and burnout as well as the variables that influence and mediate them.
Methods
This review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline, to present a systematic evaluation of literature. A literature search of four electronic databases including CINAHL (EBSCO), EMBASE, PubMed, and Google Scholar was conducted from 2014 to 2024. A total of 1081 articles were identified in the initial search. After screening the title, abstract, and context of these articles, 16 eligible articles were finally included in this review.
Results
This review identified a number of factors related to empathy and burnout levels. The included studies showed consistent results that empathy and burnout were generally negatively related. When considering the different components of empathy or burnout independently, as well as the mediating factors involved, relations between empathy and burnout may alter.
Conclusions
This study provided an excellent summary of some important research on the mediating and affecting factors associated with burnout and empathy. These results can facilitate further
Here are some thoughts:
This systematic review found that higher empathy levels among clinical nurses are generally associated with lower burnout, although specific subcomponents of empathy influenced burnout dimensions differently.
While greater empathic concern and perspective-taking were linked to reduced depersonalization and increased personal accomplishment, high personal distress was correlated with greater emotional exhaustion.
Burnout prevalence varied across settings, with moderate levels common among Chinese nurses and high burnout rates observed in trauma and emergency care units in the U.S. and Spain. Factors such as female gender, specialty area, permanent employment, and fixed shifts were associated with higher empathy and lower burnout, whereas longer working hours and rural practice environments contributed to increased burnout. Organizational climate, coping strategies, job commitment, secondary traumatic stress, and workplace spirituality were important mediators. Overall, the findings emphasize the protective role of empathy against burnout and support interventions targeting workplace environment and personal coping to enhance nurse well-being.
