The effect of a disability-friendly nursing education program based on story theory on nursing students' empathic tendencies and perceptions of competence in providing care: A mixed methods study☆

Background: Existing literature highlights the need for educational programs that enhance nursing students' knowledge, foster empathic tendencies, and strengthen their perceived competence in providing care to persons with disabilities. Objectives: This research aims to evaluate the impact of the Disability-Friendly Nursing Education Program, grounded in Liehr and Smith's (2018) Story Theory, on nursing students' empathic tendencies and their perceptions of competence in caring for persons with disabilities. Design: This study employed a multi-stage evaluation design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods within a mixed-methods framework. Settings: The study was conducted in the nursing program at a state university in T & uuml;rkiye. Methods: The quantitative dimension of this study is an intervention study organized according to a randomized controlled single-blind pre-test-post-test trial model. In the qualitative dimension of the study, phenomenological focus group interviews were conducted. Participants: The study population comprised 122 fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. Results: The post-intervention mean total scores on the Empathic Tendency Scale were higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The qualitative data analysis revealed key themes such as "Contribution to Knowledge Level," "Contribution to Affective Domain," and "Contribution to Practice Process". Conclusion: The DIFNEP effectively enhanced nursing students' empathic tendencies and their perceived competence in caring for persons with disabilities, as evidenced by both quantitative and qualitative findings.