Compassion in Practice...

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Hello everyone, I am currently a Critical Care Nurse working in the North East and wanted your feedback on a Research Idea I was hoping to undertake as a Qualitative Research Study.

Basically, I am interested and intrigued by the three year policy of 'Compassion in Practice' and the development of Jane Cumming's 6 C's of Nursing Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment (DoH 2012 Page 13).

But what does the term compassion really mean to us all? How can we provide compassion if it is almost impossible to define objectively?

Do any of you out there have any thoughts on this matter?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

In the US, "compassion" has become a dirty word, thrown at us by patients who aren't getting exactly what they want. It's apparently easier to complain that the nurse "has no compassion" than to try to understand that someone who is NPO for surgery isn't going to get that turkey sandwich or someone with a blood sugar off the charts isn't going to get a milkshake. I cringe every time I hear the word "compassion."

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Can you objectively define courage?

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

My experience may be different than others.

I have trouble coming up with reasonable, real-life negatives relating to the six Cs mentioned in the original post.

No matter how we might quibble about the "true and exact" definitions of these words, commonsense-wise don't we all agree these terms are something to strive for???

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