Abstract: Objective To explore the potential profile characteristics and influencing factors of empathy ability of clinical nurses in different cancer hospitals based on population heterogeneity,in order to provide reference for further construction of targeted intervention programs. Methods From August to October 2023,1 037 clinical nurses from five cancer hospitals in Southwest China were selected by convenience sampling method. The general data questionnaire,Jefferson empathy scale and general self-efficacy scale were used for questionnaire survey,and the data were analyzed. Results The scores of empathy ability and general self-efficacy among clinical nurses in cancer hospitals were （95.40±17.79） and （29.80±6.62）points respectively. The empathy ability was divided into three potential categories：high empathy stable group（19.10%）,empathy fluctuating group（59.69%） and low empathy group（21.21%）. The gender,job title,leadership support,job pressure,empathy-related training and general self-efficacy were the influencing factors of different potential profiles of empathic ability（all P<0.05）. Conclusions The empathy ability of clinical nurses in cancer hospitals presents group heterogeneity. When carrying out empathy ability training,nursing managers should combine the personal characteristics of different nurses,adopt diversified and personalized training strategies,and put people first to promote the improvement of empathy ability of clinical nurses and provide patients with warm and high-quality nursing.

Key words: Southwest China, Cancer hospital, Clinical nurse, Empathy ability, Latent profile analysis