Abstract
<jats:p xml:lang="en">Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare processes in many ways. During this period, when the demand for care increased rapidly, the empathetic behaviors of healthcare professionals, especially nurses, gained even greater importance. The empathetic relationships that nurses establish with patients play a key role in enhancing the quality of care and patient satisfaction. This study aimed to examine nurses’ affective and cognitive empathy levels, their caring behaviors, and the relationship between these two variables, thereby revealing the general characteristics of nurses’ empathy and care approaches during the pandemic.Method: This descriptive study was conducted between March and June 2021 with 137 volunteer nurses working in public and private hospitals in Istanbul. Data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form (DIF), the Emotional and Cognitive Empathy Scale (ECES), and the Caring Behaviors Scale (CBS).Results: The nurses’ mean ECES score was 124.36±7.25, and their mean CBS score was 133.8±10.75. A significant positive correlation was found between empathy levels and caring behaviors, ranging from 21% (p=0.01) to 44% (p=0.001) across total and sub-dimension scores.Conclusion: The nurses’ cognitive and affective empathy levels were found to be moderate, while their caring behaviors were high. The findings indicate that higher empathy levels positively influence caring behaviors. Accordingly, training and practices aimed at improving nurses’ empathy skills are expected to enhance the quality of care. In addition, work environments that support empathy are anticipated to contribute to nurses’ professional satisfaction.</jats:p>