A constructivist grounded theory study to explore compassion through the perceptions of individuals who have experienced nursing care

Abstract

Aim To explore compassion from the perceptions of individuals with personal experience of nursing care. Background Although compassion is considered integral to professional nursing, increasing reports of care experiences illustrating a lack of compassion have challenged this. Despite political and professional guidance to reaffirm compassion as an underpinning philosophy of contemporary nursing practice, this provides limited insight into what compassion may involve. Contemporary evidence to inform understanding of compassion predominately arises from the professional perspective. This knowledge gap supported the rationale to explore compassion from the individual perspective. Design Constructivist grounded theory, underpinned by the theoretical perspectives of symbolic interactionism and social constructionism. Methods Data were collected via 11 individual interviews, a focus group discussion and three additional individual interviews during 2013–2015. Initial and focused coding, constant comparative analysis, conceptual mapping, theoretical memos and diagrams supported data analysis until theoretical sufficiency was determined. Findings Inter‐related data categories emerged: Self‐Propensity for Compassion, Attributes for Compassion, Socialising for Compassion, Conditions for Compassion; and Humanising for Compassion (core category). Conclusion Compassion is a complex phenomenon, constructed by individuals through their personal experiences of nursing care and life experiences in the social world. In this study, participants perceived that compassion was fundamentally embodied by experiences of a humanising approach to nursing care. These humanising experiences were thought to be influenced by biological, psychological and socio‐contextual factors. The study provides additional insight into compassion that requires further investigation with individuals in other care contexts, nurses and healthcare professionals.

Qualitative study on the causes and consequences of compassion fatigue from the perspective of nurses

“…Compassion is actually a constructive response to the suffering of others, and it can improve responses to treatment, preserve the dignity of patients, and facilitate self‐care in the individuals who provide it (Brito‐Pons and Librada‐Flores, 2018b). Compassion is one of the core elements of nursing care (Straghair et al 2019; Babaei and Taleghani, 2019): it is an attitude that generates sensitivity to suffering and a genuine desire to alleviate it; it enhances comprehensive care, high‐quality care, and provides a satisfying experience in the conduct of the profession (Brito‐Pons et al, 2018a; Sacco et al 2015). However, in their daily work, nurses are exposed to traumatic situations, disfigurements, frailty, hopelessness, tragedy, pain, suffering, and death, which puts them at risk of developing compassion fatigue (CF) (Boyle 2016; Fallek et al 2019).…”

The hidden curriculum: Undergraduate nursing students’ perspectives of socialization and professionalism

“…1 However, there continues to be limited research on sustainability of these ethical values. 1 Straughair et al 18 suggest that there are challenges in sustaining values such as compassion due to the complexity of how nurses work and the limited number of role models.…”

“…17 There is supporting evidence that education can cultivate compassion and empathy; however, some question the challenges of cultivating and sustaining this in nursing. 18 Schmidt and McArthur 12 discuss a lack of research related to understanding the impact of core values of pre-licensure nursing students. A study on the core values of compassion and empathy in relation to cancer patients resulted in better outcomes; however, some studies have limitations and do not clearly identify the components of core values in nursing.…”

Relational inquiry approach for developing deeper awareness of patient suffering

“…6,8 If patients' suffering is not fully understood, the response to the suffering can be inadequate that may contribute to worsening the suffering. 9 The nursing literature provides ample guidance about the nature of compassion [10][11][12] ; nurses, students, and patients views of compassionate care 8,[13][14][15] ; strategies to foster compassion 7,16 ; the nature of suffering [17][18][19][20] ; and the meaning of physical and psychological suffering for patients with chronic and acute conditions. 9,21,22 What seems to be missing is the discussion about how nurses can achieve a deeper awareness of patients' suffering to practice compassion.…”