Compassion in health professionals: Development and validation of the Capacity for Compassion Scale.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals witness pain and suffering when they care for sick people and their families. Compassion is a necessary quality in their work as it combines the will to help, alleviate suffering and promote the well-being of both the people they are attending and the professionals themselves. The aim of the study was to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Capacity for Compassion Scale (CCS). DESIGN: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale (reliability, temporal stability, content validity, criterion validity and construct validity). METHODS: The study was carried out in two phases: pilot study and final validation. The data were collected between April and May 2022. The sample was selected by convenience sampling and was made up of a total of 264 participants, 59 in the pilot phase and 205 in the final validation. RESULTS: The Capacity for Compassion Scale has been shown to have good psychometric properties in relation to reliability, temporal stability, and content, criterion, and construct validity. Factor analysis showed that there were four subdimensions of the scale: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion. The results also indicate that compassionate ability is significantly correlated with age and work experience. CONCLUSIONS: The Capacity for Compassion Scale shows adequate psychometric properties. This instrument measures the compassion capacity of health professionals, which is a valuable discovery for new lines of research in this field. IMPACT: Through this scale, low levels of capacity for compassion can be detected that negatively influence the quality of care provided by health professionals. The Capacity for Compassion Scale can therefore contribute to the identification of needs and promote training around compassion for health professionals. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. WHAT PROBLEM DID THE STUDY ADDRESS?: Compassion in health professionals has positive effects on improving the quality of care, the satisfaction of professionals and the work environment. There are compassion cultivation programmes whose validity has been proven for the development of the dimensions of compassion. There is no specific instrument that measures capacity for compassion in healthcare professionals. WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS?: A scale is designed to measure capacity for compassion in health professionals. This is the only such scale available up until now. The scale measures four dimensions of compassion: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion. WHERE AND ON WHOM WILL THE RESEARCH HAVE AN IMPACT?: The development of specific programmes that can increase the compassion of health professionals with all the benefits that this can bring to health care is encouraged. It will be possible to analyse the effects of training programmes on the cultivation of compassion.

Fear-Avoidance Behavior and Sickness Absence in Patients with Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.

(1) Background and objectives: The purpose of this work is to determine the association of fear-avoidance attitudes with sickness absence status, its duration and disability in a work accident context. (2) Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive observational design, conducting the study in two occupational insurance provider clinics with patients with nonspecific low back and neck pain during the study period. Clinical variables were the Fear Avoidance Questionnaire, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, Neck Disability Index, Numerical Pain Scale; sociodemographic variables were sex, age, occupational, educational level, sickness absence status, and duration in days of absence from work. Multiple logistic and linear regressions were used to explore the association between variables. (3) Results: Fear-avoidance behavior is related to sickness absence status (OR = 1.048, p = 0.007), and the physical activity dimension (OR = 1.098, p = 0.013) is more relevant than the work dimension (OR = 1.056, p = 0.028). The duration of sickness absence is related to higher values on the fear-avoidance behavior scale in its global dimension (b = 0.84, p = 0.003, r = 0.327), and the results of the physical activity dimension (B = 1.37, p = 0.035, r = 0.236) were more relevant than the work dimension (B = 1.21, p = 0.003, r = 0.324). Fear-avoidance behavior is related to disability in both dimensions (B = 0.912, p ˂ 0.001, r = 0.505). (4) Conclusions: Fear-avoidance behaviors may influence the typification of sickness absence status, its duration both in its physical activity and work dimension, and its disability reported with higher values than in other healthcare contexts.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Production on Compassion Fatigue.

BACKGROUND: Compassion fatigue is a common phenomenon among healthcare professionals and includes several concepts that share a direct relationship with quality of life, with consequences on both physical and emotional well-being but also at the economic and organizational levels. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the profile of scientific publications on compassion fatigue, dissecting trends, and highlighting research opportunities. METHOD: Bibliometric analysis based on Donthu's guidelines, data collection from Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), and analytic techniques (performance analysis and science mapping) with VOSviewer® and CiteSpace®. RESULTS: We obtained 1364 articles and found that the concept emerged in 1995 and is frequently associated with areas of general health. Through analysis, we identified the following research frontiers: "vicarious traumatization", "working", "survivor", "mental health", and "impact". CONCLUSION: There has been a growing interest in this subject among researchers, with an increase in scientific production related to areas of health such as nursing, providing a solid starting point for further investigation. Registration number from the Open Science Framework: osf.io/b3du8.

The impact of manual patient handling on work ability: A cross-sectional study in a Brazilian hospital.

AIM: To investigate the level of self-reported work ability and its association with manual patient handling in healthcare workers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study adhering to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. METHODS: A total of 320 healthcare workers answered a self-administered questionnaire regarding manual patient handling, work ability, occupational factors, occurrence of low back pain and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors from November 2016 to March 2017. The association between manual patient handling and low back pain was analysed with Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence ratio of inadequate work ability was 43.42%. Manual patient handling (PR 1.375, 95% CI 1.038-1.821), bachelor education (PR 2.150, 95% CI 1.272-3.632), less than bachelor education (PR 2.166, 95% CI 1.218-3.855), seniority (PR 1.049, 95% CI 1.024-1.086), poor sleep quality (PR 1.425, 95% CI 1.13-1.796) and presence of low back pain (PR 2.003, 95% CI 1.314-3.052) were all positively associated with an inadequate work ability.

Influence of Palliative Care Training on Nurses' Attitudes towards End-of-Life Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain.

AIM: This study aims to assess the influence of training on nurses' attitudes toward end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic alarm state in Spain. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Data collection was carried out by means of an ad hoc questionnaire using Google Forms in April and May 2020. The score of attitudes toward end-of-life care was used, to which sociodemographic variables and training in palliative care were added. METHODS: Data were collected from 238 nursing professionals who had cared for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 adult patients at the end-of-life stage in a hospital or nursing home. RESULTS: Results showed that 51% of the nurses in the sample had training in palliative care. However, the percentage decreased to 38.5% among those who cared for COVID-19 patients and to 44.5% in those who cared for non-COVID-19 patients. In relation to attitudes about end-of-life care, more positive attitudes and a higher mean score were found in the trained group. CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care training is a key element in end-of-life care and is even more important in times of COVID-19. IMPACT: Although end-of-life accompaniment has been studied, few studies have included the influence of training on this during the pandemic. This study identifies key elements of accompaniment and training in a comparison of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. In relation to attitudes toward end-of-life care, the results showed a more positive attitude and a higher mean score in the trained group (3.43 ± 0.37 versus 3.21 ± 0.32), the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.001).

Cuidado transcultural y estrategias familiares ante la dependencia: el fenómeno de los cuidadores extranjeros / Transcultural Care and Family Strategies to Deal with Dependency: The Phenomenon of Foreign Caregivers / Cuidado transcultural e estratégias familiares ante a dependência: o fenômeno dos cuidadores estrangeiros

Introducción: cuando un cuidador procede de un país diferente al de la persona cuidada se presenta una contraposición de culturas y prácticas sociales. El concepto de cuidado transcultural de Leininger hace eco de la diversidad cultural que supone esta contraposición y recomienda incorporarla en la práctica profesional, desarrollando cuidados que ella define como culturalmente competentes. Objetivo: conocer qué tipo de estrategias desarrollan los cuidadores extranjeros a la hora de cuidar personas de diferente origen y cómo estas se integran en el contexto social, cultural e institucional de la sociedad receptora. Materiales y métodos: método cualitativo, a través de entrevistas en profundidad a cuidadoras inmigrantes en la provincia de Huelva, así como a personal especializado en los cuidados de pacientes en situación de dependencia. Resultados: descripción de prácticas socioculturales que los cuidadores elaboran según su cultura y cómo intervienen en el ejercicio de los cuidados en la sociedad receptora. Conclusiones: los cuidadores extranjeros desarrollan en ocasiones estrategias afines a sus propias creencias priorizándolas sobre las de la persona cuidada o las de la sociedad receptora, lo que genera choques culturales. Se sugiere que los profesionales de enfermería deben identificarlas para poder intervenir, utilizando la formación y competencia cultural como herramientas para el cambio.

Introduction: When a caregiver comes from a country other than that of the person being cared for there is a clash of cultures and social practices. Leininger's concept of transcultural care echoes the cultural diversity this contrast or opposition involves and recommends incorporating it into professional practice by developing what she defines as culturally competent care. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to know what type of strategies foreign caregivers develop when caring for people of different origin and how these strategies are integrated into the social, cultural and institutional context of the recipient society. Study Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach was used, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant caregivers in the province of Huelva and with personnel specialized in dependent patient care. Results: The study provides a description of the socio-cultural practices caregivers develop, according to their culture, and how those practices intervene in the exercise of care in the recipient society. Conclusions: Foreign caregivers sometimes develop strategies akin to their own beliefs, giving them priority over those of the care recipient or the recipient society. This can cause cultural clashes. Nursing professionals must identify these clashes so as to be able to intervene, using training and cultural competency as tools for change.

Introdução: quando um cuidador vem de um país diferente ao da pessoa cuidada, apresenta-se uma contraposição de culturas e práticas sociais. O conceito de cuidado transcultural de Leininger reitera a diversidade cultural que essa contraposição supõe e recomenda incorporá-la na prática profissional desenvolvendo cuidados que ela define como culturalmente competentes. Objetivo: conhecer que tipo de estratégias desenvolvem os cuidadores estrangeiros na hora de cuidar de pessoas de diferente origem e como estas se integram no contexto social, cultural e institucional da sociedade receptora. Materiais e métodos: método qualitativo, por meio de entrevistas em profundidade a cuidadores imigrantes em Huelva (Espanha), assim como a pessoal especializado nos cuidados de pacientes em situação de dependência. Resultados: descrição de práticas socioculturais que os cuidadores elaboram segundo sua cultura e como intervêm no exercício dos cuidados na sociedade receptora. Conclusões: os cuidadores estrangeiros desenvolvem em ocasiões estratégias afins a suas próprias crenças e priorizam-nas sobre as da pessoa cuidada ou as da sociedade receptora, o que gera choques culturais. Sugere-se que os profissionais de enfermagem as identifiquem para poder intervir utilizando a formação e competência cultural como ferramentas para a mudança.