Caring from the heart as belonging—The basis for mediating compassion

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to illuminate nurses’ experiences of mediating compassion to patients in the home care context. Design A phenomenological–hermeneutical approach was used. Methods The data comprised of texts from interviews with 12 nurses in a home care context. Informed consent was sought from participants regarding participation in the study and the storage and handling of data for research purposes. Results Four themes were seen: Encountering one another as human beings, Being in the moment, Bearing responsibility for the other and Being in a loving communion. The overall theme was Acting from one's inner ethos, heart of goodness and love. Mediating compassion as belonging can be interpreted as the “component” that holds the caring relationship together and unites the different levels of health as doing, being and becoming in the ontological health model. Further research should focus on revealing compassion from the perspective of patients.

Compassion fatigue as bruises in the soul: A qualitative study on nurses

“…55 Compassion is a merciful act 2 and is also seen as a personality trait which implies that it is a virtue, in other words, more than correctness or good behavior. 55 Compassion mediated by nurses can, according to [Hemberg and Wiklund Gustin, 2020], 56 be seen as a belonging between the nurse and the patient in a form of natural human-to-human-connection, and this is the element that unites and holds the caring relationship together. Compassion is demanding as it requires strength to face one's own emotions that arise from encountering suffering.…”

Compassionate Nursing Care Model: Results from a grounded theory study

“…53 In another study in Canada, the healthcare providers acknowledged that the occupational stressors inhibited their capacity to be compassionate. 62 Meanwhile, Hemberg and Gustin 14 argue that nurses should not focus only on practical and technical nursing skills and a greater focus should be placed on competencies such as compassion.…”

“…In line with these findings, Tehranineshat et al 63 found that building trust and using communication skills are instrumental for compassionate care delivery. In a qualitative study on 12 nurses in a home care context, Hemberg and Gustin 14 found that encountering patients as human beings can help to generate fundamental trust between nurses and patients, where the patient perceives the nurse as a reliable and honest person.…”

“…According to the results, nurses perceived active listening and nonverbal expressions as instrumental in providing compassionate care. As Hemberg and Gustin 14 noted, using nonverbal expressions and building a caring communion between nurses and patients alleviates the suffering of patients. In a qualitative study on 13 nurses working in the intensive care units in the United Kingdom, Efstathiou and Ives 66 found that compassion was shown by providing emotional support and attentive listening.…”

“…3,37 Loss of compassion which is known as “compassion deficit” and “failure of compassion” has been reported in some studies. 38–40 Hemberg and Wiklund 14 supports the claim that compassionate care is missing in clinical settings. This study provided a specific model for providing a compassionate nursing care.…”