Empathy as anchor: Experiences of informal carers supporting individuals with chronic wounds

Benjamin Bullen; Peta Tehan; Michelle Gibb; Victoria Team; Alison Vallejio; Sebastian Probst

doi:10.1016/j.jtv.2026.101015

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Empathy as anchor: Experiences of informal carers supporting individuals with chronic wounds

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Empathy as anchor: Experiences of informal carers supporting individuals with chronic wounds

Benjamin Bullen, Peta Tehan, Michelle Gibb, Victoria Team, Alison Vallejio and Sebastian Probst

Journal of Tissue Viability, Vol.35(3), pp.1-5

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtv.2026.101015

PMID: 42119395

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Abstract

Carers

Empathy

Informal carers

Wound care

Aim To explore how informal caregivers perceive, enact, and sustain empathy while supporting individuals living with chronic wounds. Method A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Semi-structured interviews with informal carers focused on their experiences and understandings of empathy in wound care. Open-ended questions encouraged carers to reflect on how they provide empathetic support and the challenges they encounter. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Coding was conducted independently by researchers before collaboratively reaching consensus on themes and subthemes to ensure rigour and analytic depth. Results/discussion Eight informal carers (four females and four males) participated in this study. Thematic analysis produced four themes: (1) Empathy as an emotional anchor; (2) The unseen and undervalued labour of caring; (3) Time as a therapeutic resource; and (4) Navigating a fragmented care system. Carers offered valuable insight into empathetic wound care. Despite empathetic care being associated with increased patient satisfaction, particularly in helping patients feel valued and understood, carers in this study reported feeling undervalued and underestimated. They were infrequently included within key discussions concerning the patient, with evidence of active exclusion in hospital and community settings. Barriers to empathetic care included time constraints and workload pressures; and carers requested specific, hands-on training and simple guidance. Conclusion This study provides novel insight into informal carers’ experience of delivering empathetic wound care. These results can inform the development of targeted support frameworks that enhance caregiver well-being, improve care quality and ultimately optimize healing trajectories in chronic wound care.

Details

Title: Empathy as anchor: Experiences of informal carers supporting individuals with chronic wounds
Authors: Benjamin Bullen (Corresponding Author) - Monash Health
Peta Tehan - Monash University
Michelle Gibb - Wound Specialist Services (Australia)
Victoria Team - Monash University
Alison Vallejio - University of the Sunshine Coast
Sebastian Probst - University of Geneva
Publication details: Journal of Tissue Viability, Vol.35(3), pp.1-5
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtv.2026.101015
ISSN: 1876-4746
PMID: 42119395
Copyright note: © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Society of Tissue Viability. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: School of Health
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991239298602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Dermatology; Nursing

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