Abstract: Objective To investigate humanistic practice ability of nurses in a general hospital in Hunan Province and analyze the factors affecting their practices to provide evidence for interventions to improve humanistic practice ability of the nurses. Methods A total of 1196 nurses were surveyed using a self- designed questionnaire and a nurse humanistic practice ability assessment scale questionnaire for assessment of their abilities for humanistic care practice, psychological adjustment, interpersonal communication, self-management, ethics and legal practice. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for analysis of the factors affecting the practice abilities of the nurses. Results The total score of humanistic practice ability of the 1196 nurses was 105.69 ± 16.45 (the full score of the scale was 130), and the scores of humanistic care practice ability, psychological adjustment ability, interpersonal communication ability, self-management ability, ethics and legal practice ability were 40.95±6.46, 16.41±2.66, 16.41±2.66, 11.32±2.05 and 12.43±2.00, respectively. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender (P=0.033), age (P<0.001), department (P=0.015), working years (P<0.001), professional title (P<0.001), first academic degree (P<0.001), highest academic degree (P<0.001), family location (P=0.010), marital status (P=0.023), number of patients to care for (P=0.022), number of children (P=0.001), previous humanities related training (P<0.001), training times (P<0.001), and care received from family members (P<0.001) and colleagues (P<0.001) were all the factors affecting humanistic practice ability of the nurses. Among these factors, age, working in department of obstetrics and gynecology and emergency department, professional title, humanities training, and care from family and colleagues explained 20.7% of the variance. Conclusion The humanistic practice ability of nurses in this general hospital is above the average level, but their self-management ability needs to be improved. Intervention measures should be implemented to improve the nurses' humanistic practice ability including more attentions to the key groups and departments, strengthening the training of humanistic practice ability, and improving the promotion assessment system.

Key words: medical and nursing; general hospital; humanistic practice ability; influencing factors