Showing Empathy and Compassion in Patient Care

To change a person’s life can result from a simple conversation. To make a person’s day better can be as easy as smiling at them. To make someone feel acknowledged can come from a simple hello. It’s as simple as acknowledging someone that can make them feel valued and special. I know when someone says hi to me it can instantly put a smile on my face. So I take my positivity to my patients. I know that no two of my patients are going through the same thing, but I do know that they could have similar feelings. These could be feelings of sadness, feelings of loneliness, feelings of tiredness. All of these feelings can affect how a patient heals. A patient heals physically but also emotionally when they go through a trauma, surgery, or life itself.

Empathy vs Compassion

            In order to be a well-rounded nurse, there needs to more to the eye than just brains. You actually need to have the interpersonal skills that allow you to communicate with members well beyond your field of nursing. Most importantly you need to able to show empathy and compassion to your patients. I feel that to show empathy and compassion to your patient’s is just as important or maybe more than being smart. The definition of empathy is “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner” (Empathy). The definition of compassion is “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it” (Compassion). The difference between empathy and compassion is empathy is recognizing the feelings of someone and relating to how they feel, and compassion is feeling sorrow and acknowledging that someone is going through something and wanting to make things better.

Both Empathy and Compassion are highlighted in Watson’s 10 Carative Factors. Watson’s 10 Carative Factors are factors that a nurse can use to help them build a strong caring connection with their patient; emphasis on caring for both the nurse and patient. All of the factors highlight different caring aspects of the relationship between the nurse and the patient. In a few of the factors empathy and compassion are expressed. Empathy is highlighted in the first Carative “Formation of a Humanistic-altruistic system of values” because this means the nurse needs to recognize their feelings and the feelings of a patient and relate to their feelings to help them (Watson). In the third factor, “Cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self  and to other’s” the nurse needs to be in tune with their own emotions to be able to understand a patient’s emotions (Watson). I believe that factor four,  “Development of a helping – trusting, human caring relationship” applies to both empathy and compassion because if you are empathetic to your patient and they can relate to you then they can build a relationship and trust you, and showing a patient compassion can also build trust and a relationship (Watson). Factor five, “Promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings” relates to compassion because compassion is identifying a patient’s sadness and showing them you care and are there for them (Watson). Factor eight, “Provision for a supportive, protective, and/or corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual environment” can relate to compassion and empathy because for both you are being supportive and providing a safe space for the patient to express their emotions (Watson). Lastly, I believe that factor nine “Assistance with gratification of human needs” applies to both empathy and compassion because attending to the patient’s emotional needs are just as important as their physical needs (Watson).

These factors make a difference in client outcomes because they heal the patient emotionally not just physically. The nurse and the client make a connection and the client feels cared for. They feel like a human and not just a patient to be treated and moved on.

Clinical Reflection

            Reflecting upon my patient’s brings a lot of good moments and conversations to mind. Some moments were really impactful. Choosing one clinical event to reflect on is really tough. There was a moment when talking with one of my patients where I provided empathy and compassion. My patient and I were talking about her history and her care, and at one point in our conversation she seemed upset about a past diagnosis of hers. She was confused because she was previously put on a medication by another provider to prevent the ultimate diagnosis. To be quite frank, she didn’t even know she had it. I was bothered that she wasn’t even informed. She made a statement about how the doctors don’t even know her or try to get to know her they just give her a diagnosis and move on. In that moment, I was empathetic because I can understand the feeling of being in the hospital and feeling like a doctor doesn’t even know me. I understand that they’re so busy, but I could connect to her feelings of feeling unseen and just another patient, another diagnosis. I expressed my compassion to her when she didn’t even know that she was diagnosed with something. In her mind, the medication she was put on previously by another provider was to prevent that. I can’t even imagine that feeling, but I expressed to her how I was sorry and was here for her. I let her know that she could tell me how she felt, and I was here to support and listen to her. I believe that my role was to be the client’s friend, a trust-worthy person that my client could express their feelings to. I know that I took care of my patient and communicated in an appropriate way, but there’s always room for improvement. In the future, to improve my response: I can pull up a chair to be at the patient’s level, I can ask the patient how this realization makes them feel, and I can ask the patient what I can do to help them. For my future patients and clinical care there are many things I can do to incorporate caring behaviors: I can sit beside my patients when we’re talking, I can ask my patients open-ended questions to allow them to feel free to speak into depth, I can connect to my patient’s feelings, and most importantly I can provide empathy as well as compassion.

Conclusion

            Providing empathy and compassion to patient care can change a patient’s outlook on their care. They can feel human, worthy, value, and not just a patient needing help. Empathy and compassion are crucial to providing good patient care. The patient is the number one priority. It’s a priority to make them feel valued and respected. Most importantly, it’s a priority to have their feelings recognized and also felt. To me, those acts of empathy, compassion, and care are more meaningful in patient care than being smart.

References

Compassion. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compassion

Empathy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy

Watson, J. (n.d.). Theory of Human Caring. Retrieved from https://elearn.une.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2286175-dt-content-rid-22558265_1/courses/22626-202102-NSG-351-B/20250-202002-NSG-351-A_ImportedContent_20190808045954/FOR%20SUE%20%202019%20WATSON%27S%20THEORY%20OF%20CARING%20REQUIRED%20READING.pdf