Compassionate Nursing Care Model: Results from a grounded theory study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Quality
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Compassionate care is a cornerstone of high-quality nursing practice, valued by patients and professionals.
• Understanding facilitators, barriers, and strategies is crucial for effective compassionate care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify facilitators and barriers to compassionate nursing care.
• To explore strategies nurses employ to provide compassionate care.
• To develop a specific model of compassionate care for the nursing context.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory approach with 21 nurses from diverse clinical settings.
• Data collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews.
• Constant comparative method used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Three themes emerged: contextual factors, compassionate care actions, and consequences.
• Individual and organizational factors significantly influence nurses' ability to provide compassionate care.
• A Compassionate Nursing Care Model (CNCM) was developed.

Conclusions:

• Organizational and leadership support is essential to overcome barriers to compassionate care.
• Strategies include recruiting compassionate nurses, developing their capacity, and providing role models.
• The CNCM offers guidance for nursing practice and future research.