Gratitude in healthcare
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Expression and reception of gratitude in healthcare
IRAS ID
249338
Contact name
Giskin Day
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Gratitude is an emotion essential to supporting communicative human relationships. The aim of this study is to explore how gratitude is expressed and received in healthcare. Expressions of gratitude form a significant source of patient feedback but they are often overlooked or played down. A supportive culture in the workplace has been shown to be a good predictor of patient satisfaction, and staff wellbeing is linked to quality of care. The project consists of four interrelated phases: (1) analysis of past and present thank-you letters and other gestures of gratitude from patients; (2) mapping of sites of gratitude displays; (3) ethnographic fieldwork; and (4) a series of workshops to share emerging findings and shape recommendations for practice. This study will make an important and original contribution to the field of gratitude studies. It will result in recommendations for improving dialogical relationships at a personal, interpersonal and institutional level. The study is being undertaken as part of a PhD at King's College London, and is funded by a 5-year Wellcome Doctoral Studentship in Humanities and Social Sciences.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1343
Date of REC Opinion
11 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion