compassion in nursing essay

12 Ways to Show Compassion in Nursing (With Examples)

It is not uncommon to face difficult, often heartbreaking, situations as a nurse. Knowing what to say or how to respond is not always easy. Even the most experienced nurses can struggle at times. What happens when you don't know what to say to a patient or how to act when a loved one is given bad news? How can nurses show compassion in nursing practice while still maintaining composure and professionalism? Is that even possible? The good news is even though some days are easier than others, it is possible to learn ways to be more compassionate as a nurse. In this article, I will share why compassion in nursing is essential and offer 12 ways to show compassion in nursing practice.

What Does Compassion in Nursing Practice Exactly Mean?

Why is compassion important in nursing practice, 1. patients are more comfortable., 2. compassionate nursing practices improve patient outcomes., 3. compassion in nursing practice extends beyond patient care, affecting interprofessional relationships., 4. compassionate nursing helps strengthen nurse-patient relationships., 6 key skills a nurse must-have for delivering compassionate care, 1. resilience:, 2. excellent communication:, 3. emotional intelligence:, 4. confidence:, 5. cultural awareness:, 6. critical thinking:, how can nurses show compassion in nursing practice, 1. listen to what your patients and their loved ones say (and what they do not say)., for example:, 2. show genuine interest., 3. learn to express empathy when appropriate., 4. acknowledge your patient’s feelings., 5. be patient., 6. respect your patient’s need for privacy., 7. take the time to explain treatment plans and answer questions., 8. get to know your patients., 9. be present., 10. be aware of moments that require high levels of compassion., 11. even if you can’t empathize with your patient, you can sympathize., 12. take care of yourself., what causes compassion fatigue in nursing practice, 5 tips to prevent compassion fatigue in nursing practice, 1. set emotional boundaries., 2. practice self-awareness., 3. establish a healthy work-life balance., 4. implement active coping mechanisms., 5. develop a support system., useful resources to develop compassion in nursing practice, youtube videos, my final thoughts.

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• Volume 18, Issue 3
• Compassion is an essential component of good nursing care and can be conveyed through the smallest actions
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• Katherine Curtis
• University of Surrey, School of Health Sciences , Surrey , UK
• Correspondence to : Dr Katherine Curtis, University of Surrey, School of Health Sciences, DK Building Guildford, Surrey GU2 7TE, UK; k.curtis{at}surrey.ac.uk

https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2014-102025

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• ETHICS (see Medical Ethics)
• NURSE EDUCATION
• QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Commentary on : Bramley L , Matiti M . How does it really feel to be in my shoes? Patients’ experiences of compassion within nursing care and their perceptions of developing compassionate nurses . J Clin Nurs 2014 ; 23 : 2790 – 9 . OpenUrl CrossRef PubMed

Implications for practice and research

Patients’ experiences of compassion and lack of compassion contribute to current understanding of complexity within compassionate nursing practice.

Patients believe that nurses can develop compassionate practice through exposure to vignettes of their experiences.

Further research on patient experiences could help identify how to enable ‘fleeting acts’ that convey compassion.

Compassion is not a new concept within healthcare . 1 However, compassion has become the focus of much research and debate during the past 10 years, following reports of lack of compassion within UK healthcare practice. This recent intense focus has addressed many aspects of care practices and education, recognising that compassion is a complex concept. 2 This study adds a further dimension to understand the complexity of compassion, through a focus on patients’ perceptions.

Three main themes were found within the data: (1) patients saw compassion as based on acts that demonstrated human relationships ‘knowing me and giving me your time’; (2) patients believed the impact of compassion was a sense of empathising with their situation or ‘being in their shoes’; (3) compassion was the essence of nursing and required communication alongside inherent values-based care.

The study provides a further contribution to understand compassion within healthcare practice through the patient's experience and to promot and develop compassionate nursing.

During the past 10 years, reports of poor standards of care and outright cruelty have frequently been in the press and quite rightly have caused outrage within and outside healthcare professions. Compassion has been the focus of numerous recent research studies that have led to debates on how best to promote compassion within healthcare and health professional education. Some commentators reflect longingly back to several decades ago when healthcare systems supported a different and more limited scope of practice for nursing and where organisations supported higher levels of qualified staff to patient acuity. They suggest that nursing should go back to its ‘old ways’. They also suggest individual or society morality and the changes in nurse education are responsible for deficits in compassion today. However, identifying and correcting the ‘fault’ in the system is not as simple as some suggest. Time cannot be turned back and why would society want to when some of those ‘old ways’ included: parents kept away from their hospitalised children; people with mental health problems being shut way in institutions and restrained; far less sophisticated and less effective surgical and medical treatments for trauma and disease.

This study reaffirms compassion within 21st century healthcare as a complex concept. It has multiple predisposing and constraining factors within today's practice and education environments. 3 Compassionate practice does not simply rely on an individual demonstrating empathy and kindness but on the moral, emotional and organisational environment within which that individual learns their caring craft. 4 , 5 Attempts to identify and address deficits in compassion require recognition of this complexity in order to avoid over-simplified or single focused solutions. Dr Jocelyn Cornwell explained this clearly at the Kings Fund ‘One year on from Francis’ event, suggesting how UK healthcare systems, within which compassion is an expectation, are perfectly designed to produce the results they currently get. 6 It is therefore important to consider the findings from this study within a whole system approach to improving compassionate healthcare provision.

• Leninger MM

Competing interests None.

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Compassionate Nursing Care and Its Perception Essay

The idea of compassion is essential to nursing practice, and it is regarded as the cornerstone of the industry’s ethical standards. In their daily work, nurses everywhere deal with moral dilemmas involving compassion. As a result, the concept can be seen as an integral part of nursing. However, because of its complicated and abstract character, research is required to examine the meaning of compassionate nursing care and how it might be attained.

The study of compassionate care has benefited from the efforts of certain researchers. In particular, a recent study by Tehranineshat et al. (2018) sought to define compassionate nursing care based on patients’ and healthcare providers’ experiences. Its research questions were “What are the experiences of nurses, patients, and family caregivers about compassionate nursing care?” and “How do nurses, patients, and family caregivers describe compassionate nursing care?” (Tehranineshat et al., 2018, p. 1708). Answering these questions would help the authors better understand the nature of compassionate care and the attitudes of nursing professionals.

The subject of the study entailed a complex approach by the authors. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using data collected from in-depth and semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, and field notes from 34 participants selected from several educational hospitals in an Iranian urban area (Tehranineshat et al., 2018). Three themes were identified from the study of the data using the traditional content analysis method: “effective engagement”, “professionalism”, and “continuous comprehensive care” (Tehranineshat et al., 2018, p. 1712). Based on the analysis of the themes, the authors attempted to answer the initial research questions and discern the nature of compassionate care.

The study’s findings indicate that providing patients and family caregivers with compassionate nursing care requires efficient communication in order to fully comprehend their requirements. According to the categories found, sustaining professional ethics standards, clinical competency, professionalism, and continuity of treatment are also essential components of compassionate care (Tehranineshat et al., 2018). The findings that emerged from this study are consistent with recent nursing literature that emphasizes the value of holistic care.

In conclusion, nurses should make a conscious effort to provide their patients with holistic care that incorporates good communication, professionalism, and continuity of care. Nurses can offer improved compassionate care and enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction by being aware of the needs of patients and their families. For this reason, it is essential that nurses intentionally focus on providing compassionate care.

Tehranineshat, B., Rakhshan, M., Torabizadeh, C., & Fararouei, M. (2018). Nurses’, patients’, and family caregivers’ perceptions of compassionate nursing care . Nursing Ethics , 26 (6), 1707–1720. Web.

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Developing and maintaining compassionate care in nursing, amanda henderson nursing director, princess alexandra hospital, metro south health, queensland, australia, jenny jones ethicist, princess alexandra hospital, metro south health, queensland, australia.

Compassionate care is a fundamental aspect of nursing, and is an important value that is embedded in nurses’ professional standards and codes of practice. However, nurses may experience several challenges in their practice that can impede their ability to provide compassionate care. This article aims to support and guide nurses in developing their capacity to be compassionate. It explores concepts related to compassion, including compassion satisfaction, fatigue, literacy and self-compassion, and outlines strategies that nurses can implement to promote compassionate care. This article encourages nurses to identify their personal and professional values, to understand how these can influence their attitudes and behaviours. By raising awareness of these concepts, as well as the challenges and changing nature of compassion, it is hoped that nurses’ capacity to provide compassionate care will be enhanced.

Nursing Standard . 32, 4, 60-69. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10895

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This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

None declared

Received: 12 May 2017

Accepted: 26 July 2017

compassion - compassion fatigue - compassion satisfaction - compassionate care - person-centred care - self-compassion

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