An exploration of compassion as an essential component of nursing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of compassion as an essential component of nursing: developing a theoretical framework to integrate compassionate nursing care for elderly hospital in-patients into nursing practice
IRAS ID
101384
Contact name
Barbara Schofield
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Huddersfield
Research summary
The concept of compassion and examples of its application in care is evident in the literature yet a gap remains in terms of how compassion is expressed in interactions between nurses and older people and in the context of research could then be observed, in education learned, and monitored in clinical practice. Research is required in order to determine what compassion means in the context of current healthcare delivery, and to identify whether and how it can be observed and ultimately measured in practice.
Recent reports published by The Patients Association, The Health Service Ombudsman, and The Alzheimer's Society have presented poor accounts of health care. These, and other guidance to improve health care have described what is missing as compassion. The reports refer largely to the nursing care of older people in general hospital wards, many of whom have cognitive impairment. This research will focus on the nursing care of elderly patients in a district general hospital and will not exclude those with impaired cognition.
This study seeks to explore what compassionate care means to patients and their families and/or carers and as presented in observed interactions of registered nurses with elderly patients. Former patients and their families and/or carers will be invited to an interview. The researcher will also observe registered nurses as they interact with patients on wards. The researcher may subsequently interview the nurses to explore the meaning of compassion from the perspective of nursing. A literature review has provided a tentative framework of existing understandings of compassionate care. This and data produced through the interviews of former patients and their relatives/carers will create an initial template for the observations. It is envisaged this work will contribute towards a theoretical model for the implementation and evaluation of compassionate care in acute hospital settings.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0109
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion