A cross-sectional analysis of the factors that shape adult nursing students' values, attitudes and perceptions of compassionate care

Abstract

Nursing students are the future of nursing and are situated between the expectation of the public: that they will receive compassionate care, and the profession: that it will continue to develop technically to meet the needs of the changing healthcare economy. Research has focused on the factors affecting registered nurses' values in care, however, less is known regarding the factors that shape nursing students' values, attitudes, and perceptions of compassionate care. Six focus group discussions with 23 adult branch nursing students (years 1-3) from a United Kingdom (UK) university were conducted to ascertain their understanding of personal and professional values, factors influencing these values, and whether they felt these values influenced the way they provided compassionate care? Qualitative thematic analysis resulted in 5 themes, 3 of which were the focus of this paper: general values, fundamental nursing and nursing values. Participants considered a range of influencers of their general values, and demonstrated a transparency between their personal and professional values, with respect and Journal of Research in Nursing 0(0) 2 dignity being important. Fundamental nursing was complex to consider, but was considered to orientate around the provision of care in a compassionate way. Keywords Values, care and caring, compassion, nursing students, qualitative research, crosssectional design '[Fundamental nursing] adds a lot of value to people's lives that isn't necessarily measured' (FG3, P1, L156). 'Whatever the patient needs': Compassion. Participant's implied that there was a mutual relationship between dignity and compassion: Article 19 '[...] treating [the patient] with dignity and upholding their values, because I think dignity can be defined [...] but I think dignity is the same for most of us, we have got an idea of what that is' (FG1, P2, L70). Participants asserted that compassion was communicated through the use of good interpersonal skills such as active listening and the use of empathy: '[...] if you're just doing tasks [...] you're not actually realising that that person's probably been through two world wars [...] the person may never have been outside their home for the last 6 years, and you're the last person they've come across' (FG3, P2, L60). Similarly, empathy is communicated through active listening, conveying an acknowledgment of the patient as a person with values and beliefs: '[Compassion is demonstrated] by acknowledging [the patient's] values [...] listening to them.' (FG3, P1, L63, 65). Ultimately, fundamental nursing is dependent on the interconnectedness of care and compassion, which are underpinned and enhanced through the maintenance of Journal of Research in Nursing 0(0) 20 dignity and respect: '[Fundamental nursing implies] to build on other things as care, [such as] dignity [and] respect.' (FG5, P6, L73). There was a definite stance that fundamental nursing is about achieving 'whatever the patient needs'. While this appears at odds with the aforementioned complexities determin...

Proposing a policy framework for nursing education for fostering compassion in nursing students: A critical review

“…How best to help students develop the motivation and skills for compassionate care, however, remains uncertain. While authors agreed that compassion can be learned (Elsden, ; Geraghty, Lauva, & Oliver, ; McSherry et al., ), how that learning is accomplished has not been empirically determined. One international survey of 1,323 nurses, students, educators, and managers from 15 countries showed that 73% of nurses receive an inadequate level of teaching for improving compassionate care (Papadopoulos et al., ).…”

2. Perceptions and understandings of dignity

“…If you would like a copy of this report, please contact the authors directly. The main findings from this evaluation were published in two phases: (1) Kevern and Hill (2014); The fourth study featured a cross-sectional analysis of adult nursing students' values, attitudes and perceptions of compassionate care (McSherry, Bloomfield et al, 2016). A total of 22 students' understanding of personal and professional values were explored in six focus groups, along with identification of factors that shaped these values, and whether they influenced their ability to provide compassionate care.…”

“…First-year adult nursing student (focus group age range: 28-44 years). Study 4: Cross-sectional analysis (McSherry, Bloomfield et al, 2016).…”

“…Third-year adult nursing student (focus group age range: 22-48 years). Study 4: Cross-sectional analysis (McSherry, Bloomfield et al, 2016 Caring defines us and our work. People receiving care expect it to be right for them consistently throughout every stage of their life.…”

Cultural differences in General and Psychiatric Nurses: A critical analysis using Social Identity Theory

“…[86] Recent data suggests that whilst only 10% of general nurses are male, [87] this figure rises to more than 38% in psychiatric nursing. [88] In response to the feminised nature of nurse training [89] and female-oriented descriptions of nursing care [90] there appears to be growing use of more gender-neutral psychiatric nursing terminology, with phrases such as 'nurturing', 'compassion' and 'sympathy' [5,86,87,91] being replaced by 'empowerment', 'facilitation' and 'empathy'. [36,84,92] Furthermore, psychiatric nurses now emphasise distinctive features determining their practice, including holism, the therapeutic relationship, person-centred approach and therapeutic use of self [38,93,94] and sometimes even occupy roles from which the term 'nurse' itself is absent.…”