Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 29, 2026
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Compassion practices and HCAHPS: does rewarding and supporting workplace compassion influence patient perceptions?
Laura E McClelland1, Timothy J Vogus
1Department of Health Administration, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
Objective:
To examine the benefits of compassion practices on two indicators of patient perceptions of care quality-the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and systems (HCAHPS) overall hospital rating and likelihood of recommending.
Study Setting:
Two hundred sixty-nine nonfederal acute care U.S. hospitals.
Study Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Data Collection:
Surveys collected from top-level hospital executives. Publicly reported HCAHPS data from October 2012 release.
Principal Findings:
Compassion practices, a measure of the extent to which a hospital rewards compassionate acts and compassionately supports its employees (e.g., compassionate employee awards, pastoral care for employees), is significantly and positively associated with hospital ratings and likelihood of recommending.
Conclusions:
Our findings illustrate the benefits for patients of specific and actionable organizational practices that provide and reinforce compassion.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Patient-centered Care
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:19Standards of Care II
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:25Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...