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Compassion may be nursing's most precious asset, yet the concept of compassion (or compassionate care) remains notably absent from nursing scholarship and the practicalities related to contemporary care delivery models. The provision of compassionate care is more than a professional mandate or an attribute of a model expressed in theoretical terms; it is the result of an authentic bond between a nurse and a patient. A concept analysis using Walker and Avant's methodology is employed using compassionate care as the virtue that allows a nurse to enter into the pain, suffering, and adversities a patient experiences as a way of establishing a meaningful connection.

Although the word "compassion" is an integral component of nursing care, a clear conceptualization of the term is lacking. This article examines compassion from historical, biblical, and global perspectives; spiritual connections; and calls for research to help build our understanding of what compassion means and how to enter into other's suffering.