Providing Compassionate Healthcare Challenges in Policy and Practice

Preface  Ron Marsh  Foreword  Robin Youngson  Introduction  Sue Shea, Robin Wynyard and Christos Lionis  Section 1: Introducing the Concept of Compassion  1. The Tangled Roots of Compassion: Historical Origins, Modern Day Reflections and Concerns  Robin Wynyard  2. Compassion in Nursing History: Attending to the Patient’s Basic Human Needs with Kindness  Ann Bradshaw  Section 2: Theoretical and Therapeutic Approaches to Compassion  3. Empathy, Stress and Compassion: Resonance Between the Caring and the Cared  George Chrousos  4. Who Cares for the Carers? Keeping Compassion Alive in Care Systems, Cultures and Environments: A Psychologically-Minded Approach  Martin Seager  5. Experiential Learning and Compassionate Care: Encouraging Changes in Values, Beliefs, and Behaviour  Craig Brown  6. Compassionate Care: The Theory and the Reality  Alys Cole-King and Paul Gilbert  7. Compassionate Journeys and End-Of-Life Care  Sue Shea  Section 3: The Implementation and Impact of Compassion in Healthcare  8. Encouraging a Focus on Compassionate Care within General Practice/Family Medicine  Christos Lionis and Sue Shea  9. Care, Compassion and Ideals: Patient and Health Care Providers’ Experiences  Jill Maben  10. Improving the Quality of Life of People with Dementia: A Playful Compassionate Approach from the Hearts & Minds ‘Elderflowers’  Magdalena Schamberger  11. Compassionate Care of Patients with Diabetes Mellitus  Stathis Papavasiliou  12. The Health Impact of Financial Crisis: Omens of a Greek Tragedy  Kentikelenis et al  Section 4: Organisational Issues  13. How Good People Can Offer Bad Care: Understanding the Wider Factors in Society That Encourage Non-Compassionate Care  Valerie Iles  14. Current Initiatives for Transforming Organizational Cultures and Improving the Patient Experience  Susan Frampton and Joanna Goodrich  15. Understanding and Protecting Against Compassion Fatigue  Adelais Markaki  Section 5: Concluding Section  16. Can Compassionate Care be Taught? Experiences from the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme, Edinburgh Napier University & NHS Lothian  Liz Adamson and Stephen Smith  Conclusion  Sue Shea, Robin Wynyard and Christos Lionis  Glossary

Biography

Sue Shea is a Psychologist and Researcher working with the University of Crete, Greece, and as an independent consultant with various UK institutions.

Robin Wynyard is Visiting Research Fellow in Education at the University of Derby, UK.

Christos Lionis is Professor of General Practice and Director of the Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, University of Crete, Greece.

'This book was ‘inspired by the apparent need to restore humanity to healthcare’ and the contributing authors cover areas such as the concept of compassion, therapeutic approaches to compassion and the implementation and impact of compassion in healthcare. Each section deals clearly with the issues and most are illustrated with examples from practice or the authors’ own experiences. These examples show it is the small touches of humanity during a healthcare episode that can improve the experience of patients, carers and families. However, the authors don’t shy away from examining the failings in a number of healthcare systems around the world – indeed it is one of the book’s strengths that it includes examples from several countries with differing approaches to funding healthcare. The section that resonated most with me was on ‘organisational issues’. Most healthcare professionals are compassionate individuals and it was helpful to read about the risk factors that can lead to ‘compassion fatigue’...The book was easy to read and thought provoking – guiding the reader into examining their day-to-day practice and the organisational culture in which they practise.' – Janet Thomas, Frontline Magazine, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy