Mediating effect of coping style between empathy and burnout among Chinese nurses working in medical and surgical wards.

Nurse burnout was prevalent among Chinese nurses in medical and surgical wards, and coping style and empathy were significantly associated with burnout. Positive coping strategies and high levels of empathy could reduce burnout in nurses. Coping strategies were found to play a partial mediating role between empathy and burnout among this group of nurses.