International study on nurses' views and experiences of compassion.

BACKGROUND: Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practice. However, the recent failures in delivering high-quality compassionate nursing care in the UK's National Health Service have brought the topic of compassion to the attention of the public, service providers, policy makers and academics. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' views and experiences of a number of compassion-related issues in nursing and describe similarities and differences at an international level as well as from the different nursing roles of the participating nurses. METHODS: An exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study, using the International Online Compassion Questionnaire. A total of 1323 nurses from 15 countries completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of participants (59.5%) defined compassion as "Deep awareness of the suffering of others and wish to alleviate it" but definitions of compassion varied by country. Of participants, 69.6% thought compassion was very important in nursing and more than half (59.6%) of them argued that compassion could be taught. However, only 26.8% reported that the correct amount and level of teaching is provided. The majority of the participants (82.6%) stated that their patients prefer knowledgeable nurses with good interpersonal skills. Only 4.3% noted that they are receiving compassion from their managers. A significant relationship was found between nurses' experiences of compassion and their views about teaching of compassion. CONCLUSION: Our study is unique in identifying the views and experiences of nurses from 15 different countries worldwide. The findings reveal that compassion is neither addressed adequately in nursing education nor supported in the practice environment by managers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report bias was inherent to our survey study design. Furthermore, the individual cultural differences and similarities in the findings are difficult to extrapolate owing to the fact that our analysis was at country level, as well as at the level of the participating nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Understanding the influence of culture on nurses' views about compassion is critical in the current multicultural healthcare environment and merits further research. This will potentially drive changes in nursing education (ensuring that compassion is taught to nurses) and in the way healthcare leaders and managers foster a compassionate culture within their organizations (e.g. by leading by example and compassionate to their staff).

[Cultural strategies for coping with infant death in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit]. / Estrategias culturales para el afrontamiento de la muerte infantil en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze what is the conceptualization the nurses have of child death in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and identify sociocultural strategies for coping with it. DESIGN: qualitative methodology. Etnography. STUDY SITE: PICU University Hospital Gregorio Marañón. Madrid. STUDY SUBJECTS: nurses and nursing assistants who work in the PICU. DATA COLLECTION: Observation participant and semi-structured in-depth interview. Organization and analysis of the data: the analytic procedure posed from the Established Theory. SOFTWARE OF SUPPORT: Atlas-ti. RESULTS: Child death acquires specific meanings in the PICU context. Cognitive classifications and symbols give meaning to a reality to which the nursing professionals adapt through the creation of cultural coping strategies. Based on the data, 5 strategies could be identified: redefinition of the death concept, delay in identity assignment of the children, <> (funeral rituals), discharge metaphor, and avoidable condensed symbols. CONCLUSIONS: Hidden behind the indifferent aspects of our daily life, difficult social and cultural constructs support our living and working efforts. Through daily life Anthropology we can know and understand our relationship with all our surroundings. When we are aware of them, we can develop new resources and strategies to adapt to the difficult circumstances they cause, in this case, within the context of critical ill child care.

Estrategias culturales para el afrontamiento de la muerte infantil en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos / Cultural strategies for coping with infant death in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objetivos. Analizar cuál es la conceptualización quelas enfermeras hacen de la muerte infantil en unaUnidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (UCIP) eidentificar estrategias socioculturales para elafrontamiento de la misma.Metodología. Diseño: metodología cualitativa.Etnografía. Lugar de estudio: UCIP del HospitalUniversitario Gregorio Marañón. Madrid. Sujetos deestudio: enfermeras y auxiliares de enfermería quetrabajan en la UCIP. Recogida de datos: observaciónparticipante y una entrevista en profundidadsemiestructurada. Organización y análisis de losdatos: se siguió el proceso analítico planteado desdela Teoría Fundamentada. Software de apoyo: Atlas-ti.Resultados. La muerte infantil adquiere significadosespecíficos en el contexto de la UCIP. Símbolos yclasificaciones cognitivas dan sentido a una realidad ala que los profesionales de enfermería se adaptan através de la creación de estrategias culturales deafrontamiento. A partir de los datos se pudieronidentificar 5 estrategias: redefinición del concepto demuerte, retraso en la antropomorfización de losniños, «el arreglo» (rituales funerarios), la metáforadel alta y la evitación de símbolos condensados.Conclusiones. Detrás de los aspectos indiferentes denuestra cotidianeidad se esconden complejaselaboraciones socioculturales que dan soporte anuestro trabajo de vivir cada día. A través de laAntropología de la vida cotidiana podemos conocer ycomprender aquellos aspectos de nuestra interaccióncon lo que nos rodea. Siendo conscientes de ellospodemos trabajarlos y elaborar nuevas estrategiaspara adaptarnos a las dificultades que se nos plantean,en este caso, en el contexto del trabajo con el niñocríticamente enfermo

Objectives. To analyze what is theconceptualization the nurses have of child death ina Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and identifysociocultural strategies for coping with it. Methodology. Design: qualitative methodology.Etnography. Study site: PICU University HospitalGregorio Marañón. Madrid. Study subjects: nursesand nursing assistants who work in the PICU. Datacollection: observation participant and semistructuredin-depth interview. Organization andanalysis of the data: the analytic procedure posedfrom the Established Theory. Software of support:Atlas-ti.Results. Child death acquires specific meanings inthe PICU context. Cognitive classificatons andsymbols give meaning to a reality to which thenursing professionals adapt through the creation ofcultural coping strategies. Based on the data, 5strategies could be identified: redefinition of thedeath concept, delay in identity assignment of thechildren, «arrangement» (funeral rituals), dischargemetaphor, and avoidable condensed symbols.Conclusions. Hidden behind the indifferent aspectsof our daily life, difficult social and culturalconstructs support our living and working efforts.Through daily life Anthropology we can know andunderstand our relationship with all oursurroundings. When we are aware of them, we candevelop new resources and strategies to adapt tothe difficult circumstances they cause, in this case,within the context of critical ill child care