Abstract
Empathy and compassion are core attributes when nurses are developing therapeutic relationships with vulnerable people in their care (Levett-Jones et al., 2019). The Unfolding Narratives uses a co-design arts health approach to create authentic, engaging and evidence based short films. The purpose of the films is to encourage pre-registration nursing students to reflect on their communication skills when caring for people who are living with mental ill health, dementia or are distressed by their life circumstances. Using a sliding door approach the films show how health outcomes are improved by empathetic and compassionate communication. They also demonstrate that without these attributes, care becomes dehumanised and task-orientated and can cause harm to the person (Trzeciak et al., 2017). A systematic review by the research team found that using drama in nursing education, whether as live performance, film or a virtual reality resource could assist students to understand the person’s experience of illness and improve the students’ professional identity, communication and critical thinking skills (Jefferies et al., 2021).
Unfolding Narratives tapped into the collective skills and knowledge of nurse researchers, clinicians, a theatre professional and filmmakers, to produce four films. The films are scripted around realistic clinical scenarios designed to show the diversity of the Western Sydney community in Australia and describe situations across the lifespan. This collaborative approach ensured that the films were authentic and based on evidence as well as professionally made. The films use a device from literary theory to encourage reflection and critical thinking by ‘showing’ a nurse’s communication with the vulnerable person, rather than taking a didactic approach to ‘telling’ the students how to manage these situations (Booth, 1961). This enables students to consider how they would use their communication skills in similar situations.
This presentation will further explore the project’s theoretical background, the process of creating the films and the findings of the qualitative evaluation of the films.
Notes
Reference List:
BOOTH, W. 1961. The Rhetoric of Fiction, Chicago & London, University of Chicago Press.
JEFFERIES, D., GLEW, P., KARHANI, Z., MCNALLY, S. & RAMJAN, L. M. 2021. The educational benefits of drama in nursing education: A critical literature review. Nurse Education Today, 98, 104669.
LEVETT-JONES, T., CANT, R. & LAPKIN, S. 2019. A systematic review of the effectiveness of empathy education for undergraduate nursing students. Nurse education today, 75, 80-94.
TRZECIAK, S., ROBERTS, B. W. & MAZZARELLI, A. J. 2017. Compassionomics: Hypothesis and experimental approach. Medical hypotheses, 107, 92-97.
Sigma Membership
Xi Omicron at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Teaching Learning Strategies, Curriculum Development, Virtual Learning, Nursing Students, Communication Skills, Mental Ill Health, Dementia, Stress, Empathy, Compassion
Recommended Citation
Jefferies, Diana Catherine; Mcnally, Stephen; Glew, Paul; Stunden, Annette; Pamonag Lane, Aileen; and Ramjan, Lucie Michelle, "Unfolding Narratives: An Arts Health Project to Promote Empathy and Compassion in Nursing Education" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 112.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/112
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Unfolding Narratives: An Arts Health Project to Promote Empathy and Compassion in Nursing Education
Seattle, Washington, USA
Empathy and compassion are core attributes when nurses are developing therapeutic relationships with vulnerable people in their care (Levett-Jones et al., 2019). The Unfolding Narratives uses a co-design arts health approach to create authentic, engaging and evidence based short films. The purpose of the films is to encourage pre-registration nursing students to reflect on their communication skills when caring for people who are living with mental ill health, dementia or are distressed by their life circumstances. Using a sliding door approach the films show how health outcomes are improved by empathetic and compassionate communication. They also demonstrate that without these attributes, care becomes dehumanised and task-orientated and can cause harm to the person (Trzeciak et al., 2017). A systematic review by the research team found that using drama in nursing education, whether as live performance, film or a virtual reality resource could assist students to understand the person’s experience of illness and improve the students’ professional identity, communication and critical thinking skills (Jefferies et al., 2021).
Unfolding Narratives tapped into the collective skills and knowledge of nurse researchers, clinicians, a theatre professional and filmmakers, to produce four films. The films are scripted around realistic clinical scenarios designed to show the diversity of the Western Sydney community in Australia and describe situations across the lifespan. This collaborative approach ensured that the films were authentic and based on evidence as well as professionally made. The films use a device from literary theory to encourage reflection and critical thinking by ‘showing’ a nurse’s communication with the vulnerable person, rather than taking a didactic approach to ‘telling’ the students how to manage these situations (Booth, 1961). This enables students to consider how they would use their communication skills in similar situations.
This presentation will further explore the project’s theoretical background, the process of creating the films and the findings of the qualitative evaluation of the films.
Description
Unfolding Narratives is an arts health initiative to create short films that can be used in nursing curricula to encourage students to reflect on whether they are empathic and compassionate when establishing therapeutic relationships with vulnerable people such as those who are experiencing mental ill health, dementia or are distressed by a life crisis. The presentation will discuss the project’s theoretical background, the development and qualitative evaluation of the films.