Abstract
From 2007 until 2012 Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Care in conjunction with NHS Lothian, collaborated on a programme of action research entitled, the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme. One strand of this research focused on learning and teaching about compassionate care within the undergraduate curriculum. This debate article focuses on the care issues raised by two award winning nursing students who reflected on the development of their compassionate caring skills during their three year Bachelor of Nursing programme. The reflective accounts debate the following issues related to compassionate care; Personal drivers supporting the provision of compassionate care, Challenging and influencing care practices, Providing relationship centred care and, Living with what can’t be achieved. Throughout the debate a model of compassionate care developed from the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme is used to reflect on key practice issues and provide a framework for practice development. The care issues presented in this paper identify a need to support students in healthcare to; Develop strategies in questioning care practices which do not meet expectations of compassionate care; undertake focussed reflective activities where each student can explore personal drivers, values and perspectives of compassion; actively connect learning in practice with theory in university, enable development in compassionate caring and strategies that support self-compassion; facilitate an understanding and development of emotional intelligence supporting development of resilience. Implications for healthcare staff are to; Collectively seek, hear and respond to feedback about their service; activate caring conversations within the healthcare team; consider how the model of compassionate care presented in this paper, can be used to reflect on practice and provide a framework for development; consider how we maximise the experience of care during brief moments of contact with patients/families; activate leadership that promotes a culture of openness facilitating the development of compassionate care.
Highlights
From 2007 until 2012 Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Care in conjunction with NHS Lothian, collaborated on a programme of action research entitled, the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme
The care issues presented in this paper identify a need to support students in healthcare to; Develop strategies in questioning care practices which do not meet expectations of compassionate care; undertake focussed reflective activities where each student can explore personal drivers, values and perspectives of compassion; actively connect learning in practice with theory in university, enable development in compassionate caring and strategies that support self-compassion; facilitate an understanding and development of emotional intelligence supporting development of resilience
Implications for healthcare staff are to; Collectively seek, hear and respond to feedback about their service; activate caring conversations within the healthcare team; consider how the model of compassionate care presented in this paper, can be used to reflect on practice and provide a framework for development; consider how we maximise the experience of care during brief moments of contact with patients/families; activate leadership that promotes a culture of openness facilitating the development of compassionate care
Summary
Personal drivers supporting the provision of compassionate care ‘I was a child carer from a very young age for my mum, who suffered with alcohol dependency. In relation to the LCCP model of compassionate care the examples provided above in relation to challenging and influencing care highlight the themes; Person centred risk taking and Involving valuing and transparency Both reflections highlight practices that were focussed on adapting practice to individual need, for example following the instructions of the patient in order to develop trust and reduce anxiety whilst understanding their need for control. There is a wealth of evidence available testifying to the significant challenges facing healthcare professionals in contemporary practice Activate leadership that strives for a culture of openness which facilitates the development of compassionate care
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