Table 4 Studies that implemented compassion interventions

Saab et al. [69]

UK (Ireland)

Hospital – Nurse and midwifery unit

1 group (quantitative – survey)

Leaders for Compassionate Care Programme (LCCP): To empower leaders while supporting their teams in delivering high-quality and compassionate patient-centered care.

Clinical nurse/midwife manager (n = 73); Clinical nurse/midwife specialist (n = 3); Assistant director nursing/midwife (n = 2); Advanced nurse/midwife practitioner (n = 1)

The Leaders for Compassionate Care Outcomes Evaluation Questionnaire (LCCOEQ) that measured outcomes related to 4 domains of leadership practice:

(1) Understanding of context (yes)

(2) Introduction to skills in quality improvement and management of change (yes)

(3) Personal development (yes)

(4) Relational development (yes)

MacArthur et al. [70]

UK

Beacon wards and developmental sites: acute care, long-term care, mental health, palliative care.

1 group

(qualitative)

Leaders for Compassionate Care Programme (LCCP): To embed and sustain a culture of compassionate care within the reality of modern health care environments

Stakeholders: Charge nurses and nurse managers (n = 14);

Practitioners: Senior nurses within the LCC programme (n = 7);

Policy makers: Senior individuals in the NHS organization and higher education institution (n = 5)

Relationships – changes between groups and individuals over time as a result of the exploration of the meaning of compassionate care and the introduction of methods for giving and receiving feedback (yes)

Care delivery – new approaches, attitudes and behaviours influenced by practice development techniques that placed emphasis on values and expression of emotions (yes)

Developments in practice – specific action projects that had been initiated by staff as a result of the action research elements of the LCC Programme (yes)

Smith et al. [71]

UK

(Scotland)

Not reported

1 group longitudinal (Mixed methods; 2 phases)

Valuing Feedback (VF) Programme: To develop learning materials focused on gathering feedback to support the

development of compassionate care practice.

Healthcare providers and managers (N = 132).

Phase 1: evaluation questions during the three sessions conducted in each participating NHS Board

Phase 2: online survey and a semi-structured telephone interview to determine the impact of the programme on participants’ practice over time

Gould et al. [97]

UK

Medical and Surgical Wards

2 group (intervention or control) pre-post (quantitative)

Creating Learning Environments for Compassionate Care (CLECC): To embed ward-based manager and team practices including dialogue, reflective learning

and mutual support to enhance team capacity to provide compassionate care.

Patients (n = 273);

Healthcare assistants (n = 74), staff nurses (n = 74), and sisters/charge nurses (n = 18)

Quality of Interactions Schedule (QuIS) on staff-patient interactions (yes)

Patient-reported Evaluation of Emotional Care during Hospitalisation (PEECH) tool on emotional care (yes)

Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) (Physician / HP version) (no)