Nursing theory and the delivery of compassionate care

Compassionate care is a priority in current healthcare policy. However, its definition is amorphous, leading to difficulties standardising it in practice. This article discusses how nursing theory is central to the delivery of compassionate care. It emphasises the need to develop a theoretical framework that reflects the eclectic and pragmatic nature of nursing practice, and the importance of using patient feedback as an indicator of the quality of care and as a basis for adapting theoretical hypotheses.