Compassion: a critical review of peer‐reviewed nursing literature

McCaffrey, Graham; McConnell, Shelagh

doi:10.1111/jocn.12924

Cited by 67 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Compassion in health care is considered a fundamental (Lazarus, ) and valued phenomena (Straughair, ; van der Cingel, ). Understanding compassion is significant within the current healthcare context (McCaffrey & McConnell, ) and has been mentioned in a variety of reports that have addressed perceived compassion deficits in health care (Care Quality Commission, ; Darzi, ; Firth‐Cozens & Cornwell, ; Francis, ). Such reports discussed the absence of compassion as a reason for poor patient outcomes and hospital failings (Crawford, Brown, Kvangarsnes, & Gilbert, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodying compassion: A systematic review of the views of nurses and patients

Durkin

Usher

Jackson

2019

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Aims and objectives To provide a review of empirical research investigating how compassion is expressed by nurses and received by patients in hospital settings. Background Compassion is viewed as an important and fundamental part of a health professional practice. Universally, reports from both media and government agencies have addressed perceived deficits of compassion in healthcare with nurses accused of a lack of compassion. Research into compassion to date has largely focused on the problematic nature of compassion such as burnout, fatigue and other negative personal and work‐related outcomes. Design A systematic literature review of empirical research guided by a meta‐ethnographic approach supported the systematic comparison and translation of the included studies. Six online databases were searched from January 2006–December 2016. Methods This review was carried out according to the PRISMA‐P reporting guidelines. How compassion in healthcare was defined was extracted alongside findings on how compassion was expressed by nurses and received by patients. Synthesis of the research was completed resulting in new interpretations. Results Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Multiple differing definitions of compassion in healthcare were applied. Nurses embody and enact compassion through behaviours such as spending time with patients and communicating effectively with patients. Patients experience compassion through a sense of togetherness with nurses. Conclusion Existing research demonstrated dissonance between the expression of compassion by nurses and how compassion is experienced by patients. The themes identified in this review should be considered by health professionals providing patient care. Relevance to clinical practice Health providers should acknowledge and account for the time that nurses need with patients to demonstrate compassion in practice. Nursing education relating to the expression of compassion should articulate both the subjectivity and ambiguity of the term and examine the relationship between compassion and suffering.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodying compassion: A systematic review of the views of nurses and patients

Durkin

Usher

Jackson

2019

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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“…Being compassionate towards oneself has been deemed necessary, if an individual is to be compassionate towards others (Dewar & Christley 2013). In addition, the institution's environment either hinders or facilitates the expression of compassion (McCaffrey & McConnell 2015). Working in a compassionate environment has been suggested as an important contributor to the delivery of compassionate care (Finfgeld-Connett 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International study on nurses’ views and experiences of compassion

Papadopoulos

Zorba

Koulouglioti³

et al. 2016

International Nursing Review

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Background Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practice. However, the recent failures in delivering high‐quality compassionate nursing care in the UK's National Health Service have brought the topic of compassion to the attention of the public, service providers, policy makers and academics. Aim The aim of this study was to explore the nurses’ views and experiences of a number of compassion‐related issues in nursing and describe similarities and differences at an international level as well as from the different nursing roles of the participating nurses. Methods An exploratory, cross‐sectional descriptive study, using the International Online Compassion Questionnaire. A total of 1323 nurses from 15 countries completed the questionnaire. Results The majority of participants (59.5%) defined compassion as “Deep awareness of the suffering of others and wish to alleviate it” but definitions of compassion varied by country. Of participants, 69.6% thought compassion was very important in nursing and more than half (59.6%) of them argued that compassion could be taught. However, only 26.8% reported that the correct amount and level of teaching is provided. The majority of the participants (82.6%) stated that their patients prefer knowledgeable nurses with good interpersonal skills. Only 4.3% noted that they are receiving compassion from their managers. A significant relationship was found between nurses’ experiences of compassion and their views about teaching of compassion. Conclusion Our study is unique in identifying the views and experiences of nurses from 15 different countries worldwide. The findings reveal that compassion is neither addressed adequately in nursing education nor supported in the practice environment by managers. Limitations Self‐report bias was inherent to our survey study design. Furthermore, the individual cultural differences and similarities in the findings are difficult to extrapolate owing to the fact that our analysis was at country level, as well as at the level of the participating nurses. Implications for nursing policy Understanding the influence of culture on nurses’ views about compassion is critical in the current multicultural healthcare environment and merits further research. This will potentially drive changes in nursing education (ensuring that compassion is taught to nurses) and in the way healthcare leaders and managers foster a compassionate culture within their organizations (e.g. by leading by example and compassionate to their staff).

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“…The rationale for the introduction of a measurement tool must be 'to help people to identify strengths in compassionate practice, so that they can be understood, articulated, shared and made more deliberate in nursing work, and to identify possibilities for development' (Dewar et al 2011). It should also be acknowledged that although compassion may be perceived as a cherished element of nursing, it can be hard to engender during each patient contact (McCaffrey and McConnell 2015), which raises questions about what should be expected realistically from those working in the profession.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is associated strongly with nursing, portrayed as a core component of the profession (McCaffrey and McConnell 2015), and described as 'its most effective strength' (Schantz 2007). The link between compassion and nursing has a long legacy; Florence Nightingale depicted it as a 'moral virtue' to be possessed by all nurses (Papadopoulos and Ali 2016).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring compassionate care: views of healthcare staff

et al. 2016

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ReviewThis article has been subject to double-blind review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software Conflict of interestThere are no conflicts of interest associated with this publication. AbstractBackground: Compassion in health services has received increasing attention recently due to concerns about a perceived decline. Subsequently, there has been much debate about the measurement of compassionate care, but little is known about this subject from the perspective of staff.Aim: To explore healthcare professionals' views of measuring compassionate care.Method: As part of a grounded theory study, using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with type 2 diabetes, participants were invited to discuss this topic of measurement.Results: Measuring compassion was regarded as problematic due to its complex nature. Categories identified in the data reflecting this difficulty included: distinguishing compassionate care from other concepts; relying on informal indicators; making the subjective objective; incorporating external influences; putting it to use. Conclusion: Findings outlined the complexity associated with measuring compassionate care and how attempts to do this by managers could be a problematic endeavour.

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Compassion: a critical review of peer‐reviewed nursing literature

Abstract: More precise understanding of compassion will support nurses in advocating for compassionate care, participating in interdisciplinary dialogue, and contributing to the design of healthcare environments that are conducive to compassionate care.

Cited by 67 publications

References 24 publications

Embodying compassion: A systematic review of the views of nurses and patients

Embodying compassion: A systematic review of the views of nurses and patients

International study on nurses’ views and experiences of compassion

Measuring compassionate care: views of healthcare staff

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