Effectiveness of the Gibbs' reflective cycle in humanistic care training for infectious disease nurses: a quasi-experimental study.

AIM: In infectious disease settings, patients often encounter isolation, stigma, and psychological distress. Traditional humanistic training is frequently lecture-based and lacks structured reflection, limiting its ability to enhance practical caring behaviors. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Gibbs' reflective cycle in humanistic care training for nurses in infectious disease departments.

METHODS

In 2025, this quasi-experimental study involved 60 registered nurses from an infectious disease department in a tertiary Chinese hospital. Thirty received humanistic training with the Gibbs' reflective cycle, while 30 received conventional training. Outcomes (Caring Behavior Inventory, Reflective Ability Scale) were assessed at baseline and post-training. Paired and independent t-tests were used to compare within- and between-group differences.

RESULTS

After training, the intervention group exhibited significantly higher total and dimension scores on the humanistic care behavior scale compared to their pre-training scores and those of the control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the intervention group's total and dimension scores on the reflective ability scale were also higher than their pre-training scores and those of the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The humanistic training model based on the Gibbs' reflective cycle is associated with significant improvements in the humanistic care behavior and reflective ability of nurses in infectious disease departments. It offers strong support for delivering high-quality nursing services and is worthy of clinical promotion and application.