The Nursing Team of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University Makes Empathic Capacity the "Invisible Driving Force" Empowering Combat Capability Generation
The Reach of Empathic Nursing Extends Further
■ Liu Jian, PLA Daily Reporter Sun Xingwei, Special Correspondent Wang Zefeng
An obstetrics and gynecology nurse at the Western Theater Command General Hospital cares for a newborn. Photo by Wang Mei
Nursing staff at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University engage in warm interactions with patients during routine care. Photo by Wang Wenna
A nephrology nurse at Army Medical University's Southwest Hospital conducts a physical examination for an inpatient. Photo by Huang Qi'ao
May 12 is International Nurses' Day. Military nursing workers have long fought on the front lines of patient care, faithfully guarding lives and health. Every act of listening, every night of vigilance, every utterance of "I'm here"—all embody the warmth of empathic nursing. This issue of "Health Topics" focuses on military nursing personnel, documenting how they enhance nursing capabilities within medical support (卫勤保障), give empathy a concrete foothold, and make guardianship more powerful.
—The Editors
Empathic capacity (共情力) is the warm bond in doctor-patient communication and an indispensable professional quality for military nursing personnel. For frontline nurses, empathy is not merely perspective-taking or compassion for suffering—it is also the critical capability to understand the particular psychology of servicemembers and to meet the demands of the battlefield. In recent years, the nursing team of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University has deeply integrated empathic perception and service capability with humanistic nursing and battlefield casualty care, making empathic capacity the "invisible driving force" (隐形动能) that empowers combat capability generation.
I
"Xiao Zhou, is your knee aching after today's rehabilitation training? I noticed your left foot isn't bearing full weight when you walk—your force distribution isn't quite natural." In the orthopedic ward, head nurse Dai Xiaojie asked in a gentle tone.
"Head Nurse, you understand my body's sensations better than I do." These words drew a heartfelt exclamation from Xiao Zhou, who had just undergone lumbar surgery and had been trying to grit his teeth through the postoperative pain in silence.
This sharpness of "reading faces and observing expressions" (察言观色) is the result of the hospital's years of sustained commitment to a "three-dimensional cognitive empathy training system" (三维认知共情训练体系).
"In clinical practice, we found that many comrades habitually endure pain on their own. The fact that officers and soldiers say nothing does not mean they have no needs. As nurses, we need to read our comrades' 'unspoken pain' (未言之痛)." Dai Xiaojie's words articulate the consensus of the hospital's nursing team.
To develop the skill of "reading needs through symptoms," the hospital routinely holds case empathy analysis sessions. Medical and nursing staff periodically review clinical cases, dissecting patterns and refining service details across three dimensions: patients' physiological responses, emotional expressions, and behavioral details. Over time, the nurses have developed a "golden eye" (火眼金睛): a soldier's clenched fist, an unconscious sideways lean, the slight furrow of a brow while speaking—these easily overlooked small movements have all become "signal codes" for reading the needs of officers and soldiers.
Feng Xinwei, head nurse of the gastroenterology department, has also developed a practical "three-look, three-ask" empathy work method (三看三问共情工作法) in her daily work: look at complexion and spirit, look at posture and bearing, look at personal items at the bedside; proactively ask about sleep quality, pain experience, and psychological state—transforming abstract empathy into a daily work procedure that anyone can follow.
Last late autumn, Xiao Chen, who had just completed an oceanic escort mission, was urgently admitted with acute appendicitis. The surgery went smoothly, but afterward Xiao Chen persistently ran a low-grade fever and had no appetite; routine examinations found no obvious cause. In addition to monitoring Xiao Chen's physiological indicators, the hospital nursing team proactively contacted his fellow soldiers to learn more about his situation, and only then uncovered the real reason: throughout the escort mission, Xiao Chen had been under sustained physical and mental high tension, and his physical discomfort was in fact an external manifestation of excessive psychological stress.
Once the root cause was identified, head nurse Huang Xin immediately contacted the psychological nursing group to tailor a rehabilitation plan for Xiao Chen: the ward was decorated with maritime scenery and silhouettes of naval vessels; during free time, staff sat with him to talk about his escort experiences and life in the barracks… Within just one week, the knot in Xiao Chen's heart gradually loosened, his mood slowly relaxed, and his various physical indicators gradually returned to normal.
"It was not that the treatment methods were particularly special—it was that we truly understood the pressure and troubles that had accumulated deep in the hearts of our officers and soldiers." Huang Xin reflected on her nursing insights.
II
If empathy in the ward is "slow, meticulous work," then empathy in battlefield casualty care is emergency response where every second counts.
"Don't move! Look at me—breathe with me!"
During one realistic combat exercise, soldier Xiao Li was brought to a field aid station with an "abdominal trauma." The injury was not life-threatening, but he exhibited a strong stress response: rapid breathing, full-body trembling, and inability to cooperate with triage or intravenous puncture.
Nurse Wan Changli immediately crouched down, placed her right hand firmly on Xiao Li's shoulder, and said calmly: "Xiao Li, look at me. Your injury is not serious. Follow my command—inhale, hold, exhale." After three breathing cycles, Xiao Li's breathing gradually steadied and his tense body slowly relaxed. Wan Changli seized the moment to swiftly complete triage and establish intravenous access—the entire process took less than two minutes.
"In a battlefield environment, a casualty's 'sense of loss of control' (失控感) is more lethal than blood loss. Circulatory collapse triggered by panic is often more likely to cause death than the injury itself." Wan Changli explained afterward that the first step of empathy is not the procedure, but helping the casualty reclaim control of their "out-of-control" body and emotions.
Based on this understanding, the hospital has systematically established an "empathic emergency rescue model" (共情急救模式) comprising three main components.
Establishing a "golden 30-second" empathic contact standard (黄金30秒共情接触规范). Within the first 30 seconds of a nurse's contact with a casualty, three standardized actions must be completed: eye contact, physical contact (such as gripping the shoulder or shaking hands), and directive speech (such as "look at me" or "breathe with me"). These three actions have been repeatedly validated as the fastest means of helping casualties reestablish a sense of security.
Compiling a "combat casualty empathy script list" (战救共情话术清单). Specific scripts have been developed for typical scenarios including panic-driven struggling, post-traumatic stress, and impaired consciousness. For example: "Your injury is not serious—I can handle it" helps eliminate fear; "Breathe with me, 3, 2, 1"—clear commands can rapidly capture the casualty's attention; "Comrade, you are already safe" helps reestablish a sense of security. These scripts are concise, forceful, and replicable, allowing nurses to deploy them directly in high-pressure environments.
Incorporating empathic capacity into combat casualty assessment. In "full-process, multi-scenario" (全流程、多场景) battlefield casualty care exercises, disruptive elements such as casualties exhibiting stress responses or low levels of cooperation are introduced, requiring nurses to complete the dual task of "empathic intervention + emergency medical procedure" within a set time.
In addition, the hospital has established a "review-and-iteration" (复盘—迭代) mechanism. After each exercise, the nursing team collectively replays the on-site recordings and jointly analyzes: which phrase worked best? Which action was most effective in stabilizing the casualty? How can it be optimized next time? Through this painstaking method, empathic emergency rescue has been transformed from vague experience into clear, standardized actions.
"Before, when I encountered a seriously wounded soldier, I only wanted to complete the procedure as quickly as possible. Now, I first look into his eyes and say, 'I've got you—follow my lead.'" A nurse told the reporter that this chain of "emotional reassurance—precise anticipation—rapid response" (情感安抚—精准预判—快速处置) gives battlefield casualty care both speed and stability.
III
Empathic nursing is reflected not only in the "speed" of emergency rescue but also in the "precision" of rehabilitation. How to help officers and soldiers recover as quickly as possible after surgery and avoid "dropping the ball" after discharge is another measure of nursing quality.
Many patients, worried about drainage tube compression or wound tension after surgery, dare not get out of bed and move, which impairs rehabilitation efficiency. To address this problem, the general surgery nursing team developed a graduated out-of-bed protocol: sit upright in bed for three minutes to adapt to the position, stand at the bedside for two minutes to stabilize, then walk slowly for ten meters. This approach is gradual, scientifically sound, and can effectively guard against risks such as wound tearing and tube compression.
At the same time, the team independently developed a medical drainage tube protective pouch to prevent accidental dislodgement or displacement of drainage tubes during patient activity, making it more comfortable and reassuring for officers and soldiers to move around. The pouch is made of soft, skin-friendly, breathable material to optimize the patient's wearing experience.
This initiative reflects the refined and humanistic nature of the hospital's rehabilitation services. At this hospital, there are many similar measures.
"This rehabilitation kit is so practical—the illustrated instructions are easy to understand, and the small rehabilitation devices are all included. I won't have to worry about my recovery when I get back!" In the orthopedic ward, soldier Xiao Lin, about to be discharged after rehabilitation, happily accepted the personalized rehabilitation kit prepared by the nurses.
Training injury rehabilitation takes a relatively long time, and if officers and soldiers lack professional guidance after discharge, it affects rehabilitation outcomes. To break down the barrier between in-hospital and post-discharge rehabilitation, the hospital nursing team developed a personalized servicemember rehabilitation kit containing three items: a rehabilitation guidance manual written with real-scene illustrations and plain-language instructions; several portable assistive devices suited to the barracks environment; and a personalized rehabilitation progress record sheet that makes it easy for officers and soldiers to self-quantify their progress and for the nursing team to track it remotely.
"The customized rehabilitation kit extends professional medical services to the barracks, so that officers and soldiers do not fall behind in training after discharge and do not lose their way in rehabilitation." Hong Hanhan, chief head nurse of the hospital's nursing department, explained. Currently, the rehabilitation kit has been rolled out across multiple departments of the hospital, cumulatively benefiting hundreds of grassroots officers and soldiers.
From "not daring to move" to "moving scientifically," from "discharge means loss of follow-up care" to "discharge without falling behind in training"—the reach of empathic nursing is extending from the ward to the barracks, from the period of hospitalization to the entire rehabilitation process.
At this hospital, empathic capacity is being transformed into a capability system that is trainable, assessable, and iterable. For frontline nurses, empathy is both a gentle form of understanding and a hard-core skill (硬核的本领)—ultimately pointing toward a single goal: returning officers and soldiers to their units in good health so they can better fulfill their duties and mission.
Layout design: Xu Shuo