The effect of colostomy bag experience on empathic approach and conscious awareness in nursing students: A qualitative and quantitative study

Objective: This research was conducted to examine the effect of colostomy bag experience on the empathy levels and mindfulness of senior nursing students. Material and Methods: The research was conducted as a quasi-experimental mixed design with 45 nursing students at Erciyes University Faculty of Health Sciences between November 2019 and June 2020. For the experiment, students were chosen at simple random. In the pre-test phase, personal identification form, Turkish Version of Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Nursing Students (JSENS) and Turkish Version of Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were used to collect data. After the stoma bag insertion training was given, the students were given a schedule to do the application. A 4-day colostomy experience was presented. In the post-test part of the experiment, JSENS and MAAS were used again to collect data. Individuals in the focus group selected randomly from the group were interviewed one by one. A semi-structured interview form was filled by the researcher during the interview. For the qualitative part, the data obtained until saturation was reached by the researcher. Written texts were analyzed by dividing appropriate codes, sub-themes and themes. Result: As a result of the experiences of the students, it was determined that the average empathy scores of the students increased from 106.24 to 110.64 (t= -4.637, p<0.05). In conscious mindfulness, even if a statistically significant difference was obtained between the pre-test and the post-test, the negative aspect of the change contradicted the desired results from the study. In the correlation test, there was no statistical relationship between mindfulness and empathy (pre-test r=0.017 and post-test r=0.101). In the results obtained from the interviews with the students, there are statements that the students understand the situation of colostomy patients. Conclusion: The research was seen with quantitative measurements that the colostomy experience performed on student nurses was effective in terms of increasing empathy. The empathic expressions made by the students in the interviews support the quantitative data. Keywords: Colostomy, Nursing Student, Empathy, Mindfulness.