Compassion through technology: Digital empathy concept analysis and implications in nursing

Abstract Objective: Digital empathy is an emerging concept in telehealth nursing, emphasizing emotional engagement and compassionate communication in virtual care settings. Despite its importance, digital empathy remains underexplored. This concept analysis aims to define digital empathy in nursing, explore its key attributes, antecedents, consequences, challenges, and actionable recommendations for practice. Methods: Using Walker and Avant’s eight-step framework, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on digital empathy in telehealth nursing. A total of 52 sources were reviewed, comprising 46 research articles,