Analysis of influencing factors of narrative medicine competence in the clinical nursing population in Hunan province, China: a cross-sectional study.

objectiveTo explore the current status of clinical nurses' narrative medicine (NM) ability and its related influencing factors, so as to provide a theoretical basis for nursing managers to develop targeted nurse training programmes.

designA cross-sectional study.

settingA total of 1792 clinical nurses from eight medical institutions in Hunan province were selected as participants using convenience sampling.

main outcome measuresOnline questionnaires were employed to collect general data, NM competence scores, empathy ability scores and personality trait scores from the participants.

participantsA total of 1820 questionnaires were collected, with 28 deemed invalid due to contradictory responses. The final dataset included 1792 valid questionnaires, resulting in a valid recovery rate of 98.5%.

resultsThe total NM competence score averaged at 153.37±18.34. Marital status, having children, hospital grade, empathy ability score and challenges faced in carrying out NM were identified as influential factors through multiple linear regression (p<0.01). These factors collectively explained 71.9% of the total variation in the NM competence of clinical nurses.

conclusionClinical nurses in this study demonstrate an intermediate level of NM competence. Marital status, having children, hospital grade, empathy ability score and challenges in carrying out NM emerge as the primary factors affecting NM competence among nurses. The findings suggest that nursing managers should implement targeted measures to improve the NM competence of clinical nurses, thereby fostering their professional growth.