Conveying compassion through attention to the essential ordinary

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Care
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Understanding how nurses convey empathy is crucial for improving care for older adults.
• Long-term care settings present unique challenges in communicating compassion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the methods nurses use to communicate their understanding of and willingness to relieve suffering in older patients.
• To identify key themes in nurse-patient communication regarding suffering in long-term care.

Main Methods:

• A purposive sample of seven nurses from Canadian long-term care facilities was recruited.
• Data were collected through unstructured interviews and participant observations.
• Thematic analysis was employed to identify key findings.

Main Results:

• The primary theme was 'attention to the essential ordinary'.
• Two significant sub-themes emerged: 'attention to the little things' and 'keeping the promise to never abandon'.
• These actions signaled to patients that their suffering was acknowledged and addressed.

Conclusions:

• Focusing on small, everyday actions and upholding promises enhances patient self-worth and promotes a patient-centered approach.
• This empathetic care contributes to nurses' professional fulfillment and sense of meaning in their work.
• Improving communication of empathy can significantly impact the quality of care and patient outcomes in long-term care settings.