A qualitative study of key stakeholders’ perspectives on compassion in healthcare and the development of a framework for compassionate interpersonal relations

Abstract

Page | 1 Title A qualitative study of key stakeholders' perspectives on compassion in healthcare and the development of a framework for compassionate interpersonal relations. Design: Exploratory, qualitative design. Short title Compassion in Health CareMethods: Academic staff, health care students, clinicians and service users (n=45), participated in nine focus groups where they were asked to define compassion in the context of health care. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Four overarching themes were drawn from the data. The first theme centred on participants' definitions of compassion, while the second identified compassionate behaviours. The third theme related to barriers and threats to compassionate practice and the fourth, focused on ways to support compassion in practice. Participants believed that health care staff should be 'consistently compassionate', and were emphatic that compassion should not be substituted with a 'care without engagement' approach. Conclusions:The findings concur with other research, which identifies the link between compassion and empathy and the importance of establishing meaningful connections with others. Whilst participants in this study recognised the pressures of health care work and accepted that the expectation of 'consistent compassion' was not necessarily realistic, it was still seen as an important goal.

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

“…This supports previous studies which also identify personal attributes and professional interactions involving effective interpersonal skills, as fundamental to compassion (Bramley & Matita, 2014;Dewar & Mackay, 2010;Durkin et al, 2018;Kneafsey et al, 2016;Lown et al, 2011;Sinclair et al, 2016;Van der Cingel, 2011). This supports previous studies which also identify personal attributes and professional interactions involving effective interpersonal skills, as fundamental to compassion (Bramley & Matita, 2014;Dewar & Mackay, 2010;Durkin et al, 2018;Kneafsey et al, 2016;Lown et al, 2011;Sinclair et al, 2016;Van der Cingel, 2011).…”

“…Although evidence from the psychology arena has previously identified innate factors to influence characteristics of individual human personality (McCrae, 2011), this suggestion has only recently emerged from evidence specifically informing compassion in nursing (Kneafsey et al, 2016). Although evidence from the psychology arena has previously identified innate factors to influence characteristics of individual human personality (McCrae, 2011), this suggestion has only recently emerged from evidence specifically informing compassion in nursing (Kneafsey et al, 2016).…”

“…To achieve this, nurses may be required to go beyond the realms of standard nursing care practice (Aagrad, Papadopolous, & Biles, 2018). Kneafsey, Brown, Sein, Chamley, and Parson (2016) suggest that compassion arises from a complex interplay between personal attributes and interpersonal skills, supporting nurses to make connections, recognise feelings, become motivated, take action and sustain relationships with the individuals they are caring for. However, additional factors are thought to influence this, with emerging perceptions that compassion is primarily dependant on intrinsic personal attributes that are present at birth, but which can be subject to further development through appropriate education (Kneafsey et al, 2016).…”

“…Kneafsey, Brown, Sein, Chamley, and Parson (2016) suggest that compassion arises from a complex interplay between personal attributes and interpersonal skills, supporting nurses to make connections, recognise feelings, become motivated, take action and sustain relationships with the individuals they are caring for. However, additional factors are thought to influence this, with emerging perceptions that compassion is primarily dependant on intrinsic personal attributes that are present at birth, but which can be subject to further development through appropriate education (Kneafsey et al, 2016). Adamson and Dewar (2015) support the claim that education can cultivate compassion, however, others contest the effectiveness of such approaches to nurture compassion.…”

Exploring Hospitals� Use of Facebook: Thematic Analysis (Preprint)

“…Kneafsey, Brown [19] used the method to analyze healthcare professionals' compassion perceptions to reveal four overarching components of the concept. Holm and Severinsson [20] used thematic analysis to identify key patterns found in geriatric patients' narratives regarding their experiences of surviving with depression.…”