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Compassionate clinicians benefit as well.
Empathy recognises another's emotions. Compassion goes one step further and includes the additional desire to relieve distress and suffering. Research shows an increasing lack of compassion in healthcare, with barriers including busyness, victim blaming, and confusing compassion for a sign of weakness. Other factors include inefficient workflows, bureaucratic and regulatory burdens, and compensation based on productivity.
Compassionate encounters with healthcare practitioners are associated with enhanced parasympathetic activity, release of oxytocin, reducing inflammation and stress-mediated diseases, and modulating pain perception. Compassionate care builds trust with the caregiver and increases adherence to treatment plans, enhancing patient self-care.
Compassionate clinicians have lower odds of major errors and are more likely to be perceived by patients as competent. Compassionate actions promote resilience and an increased sense of personal accomplishment, while reducing the incidence of depression and burnout.
Compassion, rooted in empathy, benefits patients but is also a source of wellness and energy for the clinician.
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Hellyer, P. Compassionate care = improved patient outcomes. Br Dent J 236, 49 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-6733-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-6733-0