MUMBAI, India, Sept. 14 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641101879 A) filed by Christ University on August 24, 2026, for A Movie Model Intervention To Enhance Empathy Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses.
Inventors include Prethivaraj Philip; and Nirmala M N.
The application for the patent was published on September 11, 2026, under issue no. 37/2026.
Abstract: In the recent past, the Movie Model/Cinema Therapy (MM/CT), has been adapted across mental health, education, and corporate training to help individuals safely explore their emotions and build new coping strategies. However, limited evidence exists regarding how much MM/CT is explored and implemented in the health profession to increase empathy in nurses, especially in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses. This study emphasises that empathy is a critical and acquirable skill for healthcare. Caring with empathy improves patient care, particularly in high-stakes ICU environments where patients face life-threatening conditions. Research papers divulge a steady decline in empathy among nurses, resulting from stress and high-pressure working conditions in high-tech and consumer-driven clinical settings. This study proposes an MMI to improve empathy among ICU nurses in India. It is a novel idea; an effective and affordable method being explored in this investigation. It is validated by a survey conducted for this study among 90 ICU nurses in various hospitals across India. The results support that movies are therapeutic and increase empathy in the healthcare profession and link theoretical knowledge with clinical realities. The MMI is structured on David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and implements Funda Karaman's Empathy Scale (2023) to assess empathy levels, with a pretest and post-test experimental design to measure empathy before and after MMI. The process of consciously and systematically watching curated movies leads nurses to reflect, relate, and respond with empathy. The MMI model is the first of its kind for nurses working in the ICU in the context of India. It is an innovative, engaging, effective and affordable method to enhance empathy among the nurses. The benefits of the study are: reduction of patients' pain, anxiety, and psychological distress, improvement in health, empathetic care and resilience among ICU nurses.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
