How compassionate communities are implemented and evaluated in practice: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Promotion
• Community Health

Background:

• Compassionate communities apply a health promotion approach to palliative care, fostering end-of-life solidarity.
• International development of compassionate communities is extensive, yet their alignment with health promotion strategies requires clarification.
• This review examines the practical implementation and evaluation of compassionate communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the practical implementation of compassionate communities.
• To evaluate the alignment of compassionate community initiatives with health promotion strategies.
• To identify barriers and facilitators in the development of compassionate communities.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of empirical, peer-reviewed literature on compassionate communities was conducted.
• Bibliographic searches across five databases were performed, including studies on health promotion in end-of-life and palliative care.
• Qualitative analysis utilized inductive and deductive strategies, informed by existing health promotion frameworks and a participatory research approach.

Main Results:

• Seventy-four percent of the 63 included articles were published after 2011, with health organizations often leading initiatives.
• Adaptation to local context was a key barrier, while support and external factors facilitated implementation.
• Health promotion primarily focused on personal skills via education, with limited emphasis on community action or public policy; evaluations were mostly individual-level.

Conclusions:

• Empirical literature shows diverse health promotion practices in compassionate communities, particularly in death and dying education.
• Consolidation of health promotion strategies emphasizing community strengthening and policy development is needed.
• Future research should investigate community-led initiatives and evaluations potentially underrepresented in peer-reviewed literature.