Compassion or caring are the very heart of nursing and the link between them is not new. They are the fundamental element of nursing care (Dietze and Orb, 2000)1, and as one of the strength of the nursing profession (Nursing Times, 2009)2. The word compassion according to (Davison and William 2009)3 is an abstract and there is not a single way of defining it. The concise Oxford English dictionary defined compassion ‘as strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for people who are suffering and a desire to help” (Soanes and Stevenson 2006)4. However (Chochinov, 2007)5 said being compassionate is a way of showing a deep awareness of the pain someone going through and having a desire to finding a solution to it. With regards to nursing care, (Chambers and Ryder, 2009:2)6 describe compassion as ‘the essence of caring’, ‘acting in a way that you would others to act towards you, and ‘a profound feeling resulting from witnessing the pain or distress of others.
Compassion is a natural instinct within us all and an essential aspect of good nursing care (Johnson, 2008)7, but (Schantz, 2007)8 recommended that at present, it is not encouraged in nursing practice.
Comments are closed