To help people slow down their “fast pathway”, we often use empathic statements, summarized here in the NURSE tool.
Click on each component of the NURSE acronym to see an example statement.
Name
“That sounds really frustrating.”
Understand
“I can imagine any parent in your situation would be concerned.”
Respect
“I can see you really care about her.”
Support
“We are here to support you through this process.”
Explore
“Can you tell me more about what’s concerning you?”
© 2016 University of Washington | School of Nursing | L&IT Learning Technologies | Palliative Care Training Center.
Caroline Hurd, MD,
Lindsay Gibbon, MD,
Anthony Back, MD
