Trial Outcomes & Findings for Effect of Empathy-Based Program on Nursing Assistants in Long-term Care Facilities (NCT NCT07044492)
NCT ID: NCT07044492
Last Updated: 2026-02-25
Results Overview
This study will use the 20-item version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions version (JSE-HP). The scale has 20 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum), with a total score between 20 and 140. Higher scores indicate greater empathy level among nursing assistants.
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
NA
103 participants
Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)
2026-02-25
Participant Flow
Participants were recruited from long-term care institutions in Taiwan. Six institutions were invited, four agreed to participate and provided institutional consent. A total of 109 individuals were assessed for eligibility, and 103 participants provided written informed consent prior to group assignment.
Of the 109 individuals assessed for eligibility, six were excluded prior to assignment due to not meeting inclusion criteria (n=2), declining participation (n=3), or taking extended leave (n=1). A total of 103 participants were enrolled and assigned to study groups.
Participant milestones
| Measure |
Empathy Training Group
Participants from institutions assigned to receive the empathy training intervention.
|
Usual Care Group
Participants from institutions assigned to receive an empathy manual for self-directed reading without participating in the structured empathy training intervention.
|
|---|---|---|
|
Overall Study
STARTED
|
53
|
50
|
|
Overall Study
COMPLETED
|
51
|
50
|
|
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
|
2
|
0
|
Reasons for withdrawal
Withdrawal data not reported
Baseline Characteristics
All participants with available baseline age data were included in the analysis.
Baseline characteristics by cohort
| Measure |
Control Group (C)
n=50 Participants
Participants in this group will continue their usual care routine without additional exposure to virtual.
|
Virtual Reality (VR) With Debriefing Group
n=53 Participants
Participants in this group will engage with immersive virtual reality (VR) with debriefing.
|
Total
n=103 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Age, Continuous
|
59.06 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.67 • n=50 Participants • All participants with available baseline age data were included in the analysis.
|
48.49 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.94 • n=53 Participants • All participants with available baseline age data were included in the analysis.
|
53.62 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.00 • n=103 Participants • All participants with available baseline age data were included in the analysis.
|
|
Sex: Female, Male
Female
|
42 Participants
n=50 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
41 Participants
n=53 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
83 Participants
n=103 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
|
Sex: Female, Male
Male
|
8 Participants
n=50 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
12 Participants
n=53 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
20 Participants
n=103 Participants • Sex of participants at baseline assessment (T0).
|
|
Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Version (JSE-HP) Score at Baseline
|
96.66 Score
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.29 • n=50 Participants • All participants with available baseline empathy data were included in the analysis.
|
100.83 Score
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.00 • n=53 Participants • All participants with available baseline empathy data were included in the analysis.
|
98.81 Score
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.23 • n=103 Participants • All participants with available baseline empathy data were included in the analysis.
|
|
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
|
—
|
—
|
0 Participants
Race and Ethnicity were not collected from any participant.
|
PRIMARY outcome
Timeframe: Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)Population: All participants with available data for this outcome at the specified time point were included in the analysis.
This study will use the 20-item version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions version (JSE-HP). The scale has 20 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum), with a total score between 20 and 140. Higher scores indicate greater empathy level among nursing assistants.
Outcome measures
| Measure |
Control Group (C)
n=50 Participants
Participants in this group will continue their usual care routine without additional exposure to virtual.
|
Virtual Reality (VR) With Debriefing Group
n=53 Participants
Participants in this group will engage with immersive virtual reality (VR) with debriefing.
|
|---|---|---|
|
Empathy Level
Baseline (pre-intervention)
|
96.66 Score
Standard Deviation 14.29
|
100.83 Score
Standard Deviation 14.00
|
|
Empathy Level
End of intervention (week 3)
|
99.20 Score
Standard Deviation 14.38
|
111.51 Score
Standard Deviation 12.50
|
|
Empathy Level
Follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7, T2)
|
97.46 Score
Standard Deviation 13.85
|
104.47 Score
Standard Deviation 16.67
|
SECONDARY outcome
Timeframe: Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)Population: All participants with available data for this outcome at the specified time point were included in the analysis.
This study will use the Chinese version of the Kogan's Attitudes toward Older People (KAOP) Scale, translated and validated by Yeh et al. (2009), to assess participants' attitudes toward older adults. The KAOP consists of 34 items, including 17 positively worded and 17 negatively worded statements. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Negatively worded items are reverse-coded before computing the total score. The possible total score ranges from 34 to 238, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes toward older people.
Outcome measures
| Measure |
Control Group (C)
n=50 Participants
Participants in this group will continue their usual care routine without additional exposure to virtual.
|
Virtual Reality (VR) With Debriefing Group
n=53 Participants
Participants in this group will engage with immersive virtual reality (VR) with debriefing.
|
|---|---|---|
|
Attitudes Toward Older People
Baseline（T0）
|
135.70 Score
Standard Deviation 14.84
|
138.70 Score
Standard Deviation 11.96
|
|
Attitudes Toward Older People
End of intervention - week 3（T1）
|
140.28 Score
Standard Deviation 16.14
|
144.66 Score
Standard Deviation 16.20
|
|
Attitudes Toward Older People
Follow-up - week 7（T2）
|
142.06 Score
Standard Deviation 15.90
|
142.00 Score
Standard Deviation 16.74
|
SECONDARY outcome
Timeframe: Baseline (pre-intervention), end of intervention (week 3), and follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7)Population: All randomized participants with available empathic behavior outcome data were included in the analysis.
This study will use a 12-item Empathic Behavior Scale developed by the researchers based on a review of relevant literature. The scale is designed to assess the frequency of empathic behaviors performed by nursing assistants in various caregiving scenarios. Each item presents a specific situation, and participants are asked to indicate how frequently they perform the described empathic behavior using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (never able to perform) to 7 (always able to perform). Total scores range from 12 to 84, with higher scores indicating more frequent engagement in empathic behaviors.
Outcome measures
| Measure |
Control Group (C)
n=50 Participants
Participants in this group will continue their usual care routine without additional exposure to virtual.
|
Virtual Reality (VR) With Debriefing Group
n=53 Participants
Participants in this group will engage with immersive virtual reality (VR) with debriefing.
|
|---|---|---|
|
Empathic Behavior
Baseline（T0 ）
|
66.80 Score
Standard Deviation 8.95
|
65.75 Score
Standard Deviation 10.59
|
|
Empathic Behavior
End of intervention (week 3)
|
68.44 Score
Standard Deviation 9.46
|
69.81 Score
Standard Deviation 9.05
|
|
Empathic Behavior
Follow-up at one month post-intervention (week 7, T2)
|
66.32 Score
Standard Deviation 8.91
|
67.02 Score
Standard Deviation 8.80
|
Adverse Events
Control Group (C)
Virtual Reality (VR) With Debriefing Group
Serious adverse events
Adverse event data not reported
Other adverse events
Adverse event data not reported
Additional Information
Results disclosure agreements
- Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
- Publication restrictions are in place