Empathy Training and Its Effect on Maternity Nurses' Communication Skills

November 18, 2025 updated by: Nadia Youssef Ahmed AbdElla, Mansoura University

Empathy Training: Its Effect on Maternity Nurses' Communication and Parturient Women's Perception of Empathetic Care

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of empathy skills training on Maternity Nurses' Communication and Parturient Women's Perception of Empathetic Care.

The main questions it aims to answer are;

  • Do maternity nurses who received empathy skills training have better empathetic communication skills when caring with parturient women than those who don't.?
  • Do parturient women who received care from maternity nurses trained with empathy skills training perceive higher empathy level than mothers who received care from untrained nurses?

Participants will:

  • Have 3 educational training sessions on empathy communication skills.
  • Will be followed by the researcher for any clarifications about the educational content of session
  • nurses will be asked to evaluate their empathy communication skills twice (once before training and second time after training) .

also parturient women will be asked to assess their maternity nurses' empathy care level twice (once before training and second time after training).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Empathy is one of the elements that influence compassionate skills which required for building a meaningful relationship between maternity nurse and the patient requires. Empathy is particularly important to maternity nurse and allows them to understand things from a woman's angle. Indeed, nurses with high-empathy are able to comprehend the feelings of women, which are very beneficial, particularly during some stages of childbirth when women may not want to talk or in situations where verbal communication is not possible. However, providing effective and empathic communication between maternity nurse and mothers increases satisfaction and control over delivery and reduces blood pressure, anxiety, pain, and fear of childbirth.

This study used a quasi-experimental (one group pre/posttest) . it will be conducted at three health settings at Mansoura city, Egypt and will involve 45 maternity nurses and 120 parturient women. Maternity nurses will be trained on empathic communication skills.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
45

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Dakahlia Governorate
      • Al Mansurah, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
        • Mansoura University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be currently employed in a maternity care setting Labor & Delivery Unit.
  • Have direct patient contact with parturient women as a primary part of their regular duties.
  • Have a minimum of 6 months of experience.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Nurses whose primary role is administrative, managerial without direct patient care responsibilities.
  • Have previously participated in a pilot or feasibility study for the same or a highly similar intervention.
  • Planned absence (e.g., extended leave, vacation) for a significant portion of the study intervention or data collection period.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Empathy and Communication Skills Training Arm
This arm consists of all enrolled study participants, who are qualified maternity nurses working in the labor and delivery unit at Mansoura University Hospitals .
Other: Maternity Nurse Empathy and Communication Skills Training Program
All participants in this single arm will receive the structured MNECS Training Program. This is a multi-session, interactive workshop designed to enhance empathy and patient-centered communication.
Other Names:
  • MNECS Training Program

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maternity Nurses' Empathy and Communication skills
Time Frame: one week after ending sessions of training
Empathy level among maternity nurses, measured using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). The total score ranges from 0 to 64, with a higher score indicating greater empathy.
one week after ending sessions of training

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Parturient Women Perception of Maternity Nurses' Empathic Care
Time Frame: one week after ending sessions of training
Parturient women's perception of nurses' empathic care, measured using the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure. The total score ranges from 10 to 50, with a higher score indicating better perceived empathy.
one week after ending sessions of training

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Mansoura University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nadia Y AbdElla, Assis. prof, Mansoura University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 18, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 18, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 0593

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The reason for not sharing data is to comply with and protect the confidentiality of participants, which is a primary ethical requirement in research.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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