Encouraging compassion through teaching and learning: a case study in Cyprus

Abstract

Background: It has been suggested that the biomedical approach towards healthcare professional training may neglect the humanistic nature and personal values of care. As such, discussions with regard to the importance of introducing compassion training into undergraduate programmes and throughout professional practice are of interest. Within this paper, we report on a compassionate care programme designed for, and delivered to, healthcare professionals and managerial/administrative staff at a private hospital in Limassol, Cyprus. Case description: Six modules were developed, each of a 6 h duration. Each module was delivered twice to two separate groups of participants. Participants included 60 healthcare professionals along with 5 managerial and administrative staff. Using a range of innovative teaching methods and activities, the programme covered a number of issues relevant to compassion including patient centred care, therapeutic relationships, empathy, cultural awareness, conflict resolution, and advanced communication skills. The programme was evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Discussion: Quantitative and qualitative feedback demonstrated high satisfaction and interest in the programme. Likewise, attending managerial and administrative staff considered the programme important for quality improvement and organizational culture change. Our findings demonstrate that programmes covering the topic of compassion are welcomed by both healthcare professionals and managerial/administrative staff. The impact of compassionate care training will be assessed effectively through a future longitudinal study.

Nurses’ and midwives’ views of the “Leaders for Compassionate Care Program”: A qualitative analysis

“…They reported that they became re-invigorated and more engaged. Similar to Shea et al's (2016) evaluation of a Compassionate Care Program for nurses, the majority of the leaders in the current study commented on the innovativeness and experiential nature of the strategies used to enhance earning. Moreover, a number of leaders stated that the program helped boost their confidence and self-awareness, equipped them with presentation skills, and enabled them to understand the different personalities within the workplace.…”

“…A number of contemporary nurse scholars emphasized the importance of compassionate care in nursing (Bramley & Matiti, 2014;Maxwell, 2017;Tierney, Seers, Reeve, & Tutton, 2017). However, terms such as caring, compassion, empathy and sympathy are often used interchangeably in practice, without a full understanding of their meaning (Francis, 2013;Sinclair et al, 2017).…”

Teaching of Reading In the Midst of Uncertainties: The Narratives of Elementary Laboratory School Teachers

“…May we have different strategies in teaching but at the end of the day we have the same purpose." (IDI2) It appeared that compassion in teaching enhanced sustainability (Shea et al, 2016). Similarly, teaching must highlight love and compassion because it could enhance learning (Miller, 2019).…”

Nursing and Midwifery Managers’ Views on Compassion in Daily Practice: A Survey in Greece and Cyprus

“…Worldwide, it seems to be an agreement on how compassionate care may be enhanced through organisational design, education and training programmes (Saab et al, 2019), not only for front line health professionals, but also for managers and policy makers (Shea et al, 2016). In a programme that was implemented in Cyprus titled ‘Cultivating compassion in hospitals—improving quality of care, Limassol, Cyprus, 2015’ a practical framework was developed for providing compassion for oneself and others.…”

“…In a programme that was implemented in Cyprus titled ‘Cultivating compassion in hospitals—improving quality of care, Limassol, Cyprus, 2015’ a practical framework was developed for providing compassion for oneself and others. The educational course was expected to improve the quality of care through improvement of the organisational culture, collaboration and communication (Shea et al, 2016). In line with this, a survey on nursing (self) assessment of soft skills in Cyprus showed that managers and nurses understand the contribution and necessity of developing soft skills such as communication, empathy, team work and assertiveness in building relationships with colleagues (Zafiropoulou & Kanari, 2017).…”