Compassionate Care

The Meaning of Compassion

What does it mean, to practice compassion? That is for you to explore. Steps to cultivate compassion exist in many traditions. Every healer, every health care provider, will be asked repeatedly to decide how much to open up to the people who seek their care. In truth, it is asked of us every time we walk into a hospital room or an exam room or into any healing encounter.

Perhaps if we describe some qualities, such as equanimity, as states of mind, it would be more appropriate to describe compassion as a “state of heart.” Or perhaps, more generally, a “state of being.” Certainly it can be cultivated, but unlike communication skills where one can review steps to follow, compassion seems to arise in more complex ways.

Perhaps the most important step in being more compassionate is simply to resolve to do so.

Where does love fit in to healing?

Resources

http://www.compassionspace.com/ – General resource about all things linked to compassion. Consider taking their survey

http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/a-guide-to-cultivating-compassion-in-your-l… – seven practices to awaken compassion, from the Zen tradition.

http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/… – University of Wisconsin Integrative Health Handout related to forgiveness; can be offered to patients

http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/files/webfm-uploads/documents/… – Loving kindness meditation handout, which can be shared with patients.

http://www.theschwartzcenter.org/ – sponsors research into compassionate health care – nice links on a number of topics

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/278/6/502 – The list of citations at the bottom of the abstract featured in this link offer excellent readings about the physician-patient relationship in general, and there are numerous articles which center around empathy and compassion.

End of Life Issues

Perhaps end-of-life issues are among some of the most challenging that arise for us in the care of others. Perhaps nowhere are a healer’s communication skills, compassion, and ability to address cross-cultural issues brought to the fore more intensively.

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/conserved-patient/ – Markkula Center guidelines for end of life care. Includes case studies and links.

http://www.eperc.mcw.edu/ – End of life/Palliative Research Center – excellent links and a number of curricular resources

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/pdia/articles_publications/publications/transforming_20040922/g_selected.pdf – Project on Death in America. Well-done list of online resources for providing quality end-of-life care.

http://www.eperc.mcw.edu/ – End of Life/Palliative Education Resource Center. Collection of presentations, bibliographies, and various instructional aids focusing on end-of-life care.

http://oto.wustl.edu/clinepi/about.html – Washington University in St. Louis Prognostigram. Allows you to enter data about patients to calculate their personalized prognosis.

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/166/1/101 Steinhauser KE et al. “Are you at peace? One item to probe spiritual concerns at the end of life. AIM. 2006;166:101-5.